"We don't need unwanted pregnancy and it is one of the major problems confronting Bangladesh. People are not getting the right contraceptive at the right time and the country is short of contraceptive," said Suneeta in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.

Bangladesh is the densely populated country in the world and its population will be about 17 crore in 2015. Population will stabilise in 2050 when there will be nearly 24 crore people and it also depends on how good the interventions are, she observed.

The country has made considerable progress in various socio-economic, health and demographic indicators but it has been an interrupted success story, she said adding that maternal mortality rate is still very high with 12,000 women dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth annually.

Bangladesh has to target the poor because they are voiceless and having higher total fertility rate (TFR), maternal mortality and higher incidence of maternal and child malnutrition, Suneeta said on the eve of the World Population Day to be observed on July 11 across the globe.

Explaining, she said total fertility rate among the poor has been double and the figure is 2.4 for the rich population while 4.2 in case of the poor. Women get married at an early age due to low income and lack of access to income security for them, and thus enter into perpetual cycle of poverty with child bearing.

Targeting the poor is particularly important if one has to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs), particularly when about half of the population lives below poverty line in the country, said the country top boss.

"All our country programmes have reflection of MDG goals and are in conformity with PRSP targets," she said citing examples of maternal mortality reduction, gender equity, prevention of HIV and AIDS.

Access to reproductive health for all is a PRSP target, which contributes to all the MDGs, she said adding population and reproductive health is linked with every MDG. Quoting UN Secretary General, Suneeta said none of the MDGs can be achieved without addressing population and reproductive health issues.

There exist close intricacies between poverty and reproductive health and it keeps the poor in persistent poverty through a vicious circle. Infant mortality is also double among the poor though it has come down to 65 per 1,000 in 2004 from a level of 140, she went on.

Referring to another success, she said contraceptive prevalence rate increased to 58 percent in 2004 from a level of 8.5 percent in mid 70s. Bangladesh has also made considerable success compared to the South Asian countries.

"Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth and Adolescent (RHIYA) is a programme for the South Asian countries but Bangladesh has done the best in this regard," she lauded.

A growing concern in Bangladesh, as it is in many other developing countries, is the persistence of health inequality, she said adding a serious inequality that exists in the reproductive health indicators is birth attended by skilled health personnel.

"More than 45 percent in the highest income group has access to safe delivery care whereas in the lowest income less than four percent get this service," the country representative noted adding the first round of success had been in the human poverty with reduction of fertility to three percent in 2004 from six percent in the mid 70s.

"I have seen things changed and there are very positive changes. You need community participation and it is also very important that males are participating in the whole process," she felt. "I found that programmes are not implemented properly but political leaders are committed to it and they are after it."

"Every pregnancy should be planned and every birth should be a joy," said Suneeta, who is leaving Bangladesh this month after serving around five and a half years in her current post. "We have covered yards, but there are miles to go."