The finance minister, AMA Muhith, criticized donors for not fulfilling their aid pledges, attributing this failure to the country's ongoing struggle with poverty and other challenges. Muhith made these comments during the launch of a report on Bangladesh's progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals at Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka. He emphasized the importance of donor agencies fulfilling their pledges in order to reach the MDGs, which include reducing extreme poverty by half by 2015. Despite some progress on certain issues, the minister acknowledged that there are still obstacles to achieving the MDGs. He stated that the issue of malnourished children continues to be a significant concern. Muhith acknowledged that while progress has been made in solving sanitation issues, the problem of arsenic contamination still remains unresolved. In terms of economic growth, he noted that the country is performing well but lags behind neighboring nations. During the event, Planning minister AK Khandker and foreign minister Dipu Moni also shared their thoughts. Khandker emphasized the need for increased international assistance to combat the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. Moni stated that natural disasters caused by climate change are hindering the country's development. She mentioned advancements in poverty reduction, women empowerment, primary education, and child mortality. Shamsul Alam, a member of the Planning Commission, presented the progress report.