The Forum was chaired by M. Saifur Rahman, Minister of Finance and Planning of Bangladesh, and co-chaired by Mieko Nishimizu, World Bank Vice President, South Asia Region, and attended by delegations from 25 countries and international organizations.

Development partners said, "The two-thirds majority of the current government gives it both a strong mandate to affect change, and little excuse for failure." They said the government faces a "window of opportunity " to make bold changes. The partners join the people of Bangladesh in looking for early evidence of implementation of promised reforms and good governance, which would enhance the Government’s own credibility.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in a video-taped message, said that the Government attaches "the highest priority to improving governance and law and order." The partners appreciated the Prime Minister’s strong leadership, and stressed the need for the Government, including the cabinet and civil servants, to work as a team to implement changes. The process should be inclusive and participatory enough to gain strength from the change agents in society.

Participants noted that in the recent election, the people of Bangladesh indicated a strong desire for change and improvements in law and order. The Government explained the steps it had already taken but acknowledged that strong long-term measures are needed. Violence against women and children is still very high. The persisting law and order problems disproportionately affect the vulnerable, especially the poor, women and children. There was a consensus that peace and security at home are essential prerequisites for poverty reduction. The development partners encouraged that this should include follow up of the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord.

The Government agreed that governance problems were pervasive throughout the economy. Weak governance "has endangered the nation’s finances and distorted the distribution of income, wealth and human capital." Furthermore, this had "constrained the economy from achieving a much faster pro-poor economic growth," Mieko Nishimizu. The Government expressed determination to "break the nexus between politics and crime" and to overhaul the police department" to make it more efficient.

The Government also apprised the development partners of recent measures to contain the crime of acid-throwing and to repeal the Public Safety Act.

The development partners expressed concern about the pervasive impact of corruption, which needs to be dealt with systematically and even-handedly. Corruption corrodes the Government’s legitimacy and credibility and undermines development assistance. The partners asked for early constitution of the Anti-Corruption Commission, as promised in BNP’s election manifesto. They also stressed the urgency of establishing an independent Human Rights Commission, appointing an Ombudsman, separating the judiciary from the executive, separating audit from accounts, and decentralizing administration.

The Government, now in its fifth month in office, outlined its plans to stimulate pro-poor growth. These include reactivating the economy and restoring macroeconomic balance, improving governance, transparency and accountability, and undertaking major structural reforms.