According to a new report by the United Nations, the poverty rate in Bangladesh has decreased from 49 percent to 31 percent due to advancements in various aspects of human development. However, the rate of poverty reduction has not been consistent in all areas, with some regions experiencing significant improvement while others, such as coastal or char areas, still facing high levels of poverty. The UNDP country director highlighted these disparities at the report launch, but also commended Bangladesh for maintaining a positive trajectory. The report predicts that Bangladesh will soon move up to the medium human development index category from the lower one. Priesner noted that Bangladesh has made significant long-term progress on the HDI, but emphasized that there is still work to be done. The country's HDI score improved from 0.497 to 0.5, with a notable reduction in gender inequality. Overall inequality in HDI decreased by seven percentage points, from 29% to 22%, indicating strong performance. Bangladesh ranked slightly below Pakistan (0.504) and behind Delhi. The UN country director emphasized the need for Bangladesh to address environmental degradation, the impact of climate change, and disaster risks in order to continue improving. He stated that the report highlights four main messages: sustainable urbanization, addressing climate change, providing clean energy to those in poverty, and tackling environmental degradation. He emphasized that the current rate of urbanization is unsustainable and that climate change disproportionately affects the poor. Access to clean energy is essential for the development of impoverished communities, and failure to address environmental degradation will negatively impact those who rely on natural resources. He concluded by saying that equity and sustainable development go hand in hand.