Foreign-Affairs
New facilities in Noakhali district hospital to serve locals, Rohingyas from Bhasan Char
Dr. Masum Iftekhar, Noakhali Civil Surgeon and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have jointly inaugurated a newly expanded in-patient care facility, a renovated operation theatre and an emergency unit at Noakhali Sadar District Hospital, in presence of the Hospital Superintendent Dr. Helal Uddin.
The renovation work was funded and facilitated by UNHCR in coordination with hospital authorities.
Read: Japan envoy wraps up Cox's Bazar visit , highlights need for Rohingyas’ skills development
These facilities will enhance healthcare service delivery for locals in Noakhali district as well as Rohingyas referred from Bhasan Char, said the UN agency on Tuesday.
UNHCR also donated 460 oxygen cylinders to the hospital.
Japan envoy wraps up Cox's Bazar visit, highlights need for Rohingyas’ skills development
The Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Ito Naoki paid a two-day (September 12-13) visit to Cox's Bazar just after the 5th anniversary of the Rohingya influx and Japan's new contribution to UNHCR and WFP, USD 8.2 million.
He visited the learning center and multi-purpose center of UNICEF, the Rohingya Cultural and Memory Centre of IOM, and an aggregation center of WFP.
Army chiefs of 24 countries visit Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar
Army chiefs of 24 countries visited a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox’s Bazar district on Tuesday.
They exchanged views with the displaced Rohingyas, who put their problems and recommendations to them, during the visit.
Osman Goni, a Rohingya leader of camp no 11, said they don’t want to go to any third country; rather they want to go back to their own country.
“We informed the army chiefs to create an environment for safe repatriation through intervention of the international community,” he said.
Read: No lasting solution to Rohingya issue without repatriation
Besides, representatives of different organizations of the United Nations also briefed the army chiefs regarding the Rohingyas.
Earlier, the army chiefs took part in the second session of an international seminar ‘Challenges and Possibilities of maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific Ocean’ at a hotel in the upazila.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the three-day seminar virtually at Radisson Blue Water Garden in the capital on Monday.
Mentionable, Bangladesh has been hosting the international seminar of high-ranked army officials of the Indo-Pacific region as co-organizer for the third time after 1993 and 2014.
WHO launches framework to safely unlock benefits of life sciences
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued the global guidance framework for the responsible use of life sciences.
Recognising that awareness and resources will be limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the framework calls for providing these countries with technical and financial support, and empowering their scientists through opportunities to pursue and govern life sciences.
It also calls on leaders and other stakeholders to mitigate biorisks and safely govern dual-use research, which has a clear benefit but can be misused to harm humans, other animals, agriculture and the environment, according to the media release issued by WHO on Tuesday.
This is the first global, technical and normative framework for mitigating bio-risks and governing dual-use research.
It aims to safely unlock the great promise for new ways to improve global health offered by life sciences and related technologies.
The framework addresses the decades-long challenges of preventing the accidental and deliberate misuse of biology and other life sciences, as well as how to manage governance and oversight to both accelerate and spread innovation, while mitigating negative impacts.
The life sciences are increasingly crossing over with other fields, such as chemistry, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, which changes the landscape of risks, with those that span multiple sectors and disciplines more likely to be missed.
"Life sciences and technologies offer many opportunities to improve our health, our societies and our environment,” said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist.
“However, developments and advances in life sciences and associated technologies could pose risks caused by accidents during experiments, inadvertent and deliberate misuse.”
Looking at how to manage the increasing pace of advances in the life sciences, the framework outlines the need for anticipatory and responsive governance mechanisms, including foresight approaches, which are participatory and multi-disciplinary ways of exploring trends, emerging changes, systemic impacts and alternative futures.
To help manage risks, it covers issues such as preventing misinformation and disinformation, as well as managing large health data sets.
Read: 75th World Health Assembly to focus on “Health for Peace, Peace for Health” for recovery, renewal
Other topics include: increasing awareness and capacities for biorisk management, navigating the particular challenges around research on infectious diseases and preventing the misuse of research and technologies through collaboration among different actors and sectors.
Accounting for different contexts, resources and priorities, the framework is designed to be adapted by member states and other stakeholders, depending on their needs and perspectives.
Ministries of health are called upon to work with other ministries, including of science and technology, education, agriculture, environment and defense, along with other key stakeholders, to assess the risks posed by life sciences locally and nationally, and identify appropriate risk mitigation measures to strengthen governance for biorisks and dual-use research.
The life sciences include all sciences that deal with living organisms, including humans, nonhuman animals, plants and agriculture, and the environment, or products of living organisms or that incorporate components derived directly or synthetically from living organisms; the life sciences include but are not limited to biology, biotechnology, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical and biomedical research and technologies.
WHO activities to support the framework’s worldwide implementation include:
Leveraging existing efforts and initiatives, including those on laboratory biosafety, biosecurity and ethics.
Maintaining different stakeholders and local champions to monitor and evaluate the measures developed and implemented at local, national, regional and global levels.
Conducting awareness-raising activities, including regional and global dialogues, to support the sharing of experiences, lessons learned and best practices.
Developing training and tools to evaluate progress.
While governance of bio-risks cannot be under the sole responsibility of one international body, WHO, through its leadership, aims to harness the developments of the life sciences to improve global health while anticipating and mitigating risks posed by such developments.
Implementing the framework will be done at country and local levels, with efforts supported by WHO regional offices and other partners.
Outgoing Indian envoy meets Momen, extends Jaishankar’s invitation for event during UNGA
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said if Bangladesh and India can work together, it would be beneficial for both nations and will also contribute to peace and prosperity in the region.
“Bangladesh and India share progressive, comprehensive and substantial cooperation in diverse areas,” he said when outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami met him at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (September 13, 2022).
The Indian envoy mentioned that the outstanding bilateral ties have turned remarkable because of the ongoing collaboration and cooperation between the two countries.
Read:Dhaka, Kathmandu seek enhanced ties for mutual gains
Foreign Minister Momen also emphasized having a “stronger regional approach” for coping with the challenges brought about by the “new normal” challenges.
The Indian High Commissioner conveyed an invitation from External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar, addressed to the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, for an event on September 22 on the sidelines of the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly.
The Foreign Minister accepted the invitation cordially, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the meeting, they discussed issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment for further strengthening the excellent relations between the two countries in the days ahead.
The recent state visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India has also added a significant momentum to the bilateral relations which bears the testimony of time-tested friendship, Momen said.
He credited the High Commissioner for his due role during the unprecedented state visits by both the President and the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh last year.
Read:Dhaka-Delhi relations to be strengthened further, hopes Indian President
The Foreign Minister also appreciated the proactive role of Doraiswami in the joint celebration of Maitree Dibosh (Friendship Day) on December 6, 2021 which was celebrated in 20 selected cities including Dhaka and New Delhi.
High Commissioner Doraiswami thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for extending support and cooperation in discharging his duties during his stay in Bangladesh.
He mentioned that his experience in Dhaka would always be cherished in his memory.
Momen calls for enhanced South-South cooperation of for accelerated development
Noting South-South Cooperation was built on the foundation of solidarity, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said global solidarity is needed to find new ways to rebuild the world.
“And this has to be taken to the next step for national wellbeing, national collective self-reliance and international development goals including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.
Momen made the remarks while delivering his keynote speech at a virtual roundtable titled “Our Common Agenda – A Ministerial Dialogue” organized by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation on Monday.
Read:Dhaka, Kathmandu seek enhanced ties for mutual gains
Dhaka, Kathmandu seek enhanced ties for mutual gains
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has underscored the necessity of further consolidating cooperation in all areas of mutual interest between Bangladesh and Nepal.
He expressed his hope that the ongoing sectoral collaboration will be expanded and pursued during the term of newly appointed Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari.
Read:Dhaka-Delhi relations to be strengthened further, hopes Indian President
Ambassador Bhandari met the Foreign Minister at the latter's office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday.
The envoy said the bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and Nepal is growing steadily in the sectors such as trade, power, connectivity, education, tourism, and people-to-people contacts.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed the importance of strong relations between the two countries, mentioning that Bangladesh and Nepal have been maintaining cordial ties since independence, according to the MoFA.
Momen expressed with satisfaction that the two countries recently celebrated their 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties on April 8, 2022.
He expressed gratitude for the support of the people of Nepal during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and for its early recognition of Bangladesh as an independent country.
Momen recalled the visit of the President of Nepal to Bangladesh on 22-23 March 2021 during the celebration of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman which added momentum to the bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Nepal.
Read:US looks forward to “growing its defense cooperation” with Bangladesh: Ambassador Haas
Bhandari underscored the necessity of expanding trade and commerce between the two countries and sought the support of Bangladesh in relaxing tariffs on Nepalese commodities.
He emphasized on regular interaction and stressed on holding the next Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Nepal at an early date.
The envoy further expressed his desire to work for further deepening the bilateral relations during his tenure.
Bhandari presented his ‘Letters of Credence’ to President Md Abdul Hamid on August 31 at Bangabhaban.
Dhaka-Delhi relations to be strengthened further, hopes Indian President
Highlighting the historic bondage, Indian President Droupadi Murmu has expressed hope that the relations between the two countries will further be strengthened in the coming days based on goodwill, trust, understanding and mutual respect.
She made the remarks when outgoing Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran met her at the latter’s office at Rashtrapati Bhaban on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the High Commissioner conveyed greetings and warm regards to the President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
They discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation including the recent successful visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, which has further consolidated the existing relationships between the two neighbouring countries, said the Bangladesh High Commission in a media release.
International Conference on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to be held in city
Awami League's sub-committee on science and technology is going to organise an international conference on the fourth industrial revolution (IC4IR) in the city for the first time.
The two-day conference titled ‘International Conference on 4IR for Emerging Future’ will be held on November 4 and 5 at the capital's Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).
The theme of the conference is "Journey to Build Smart Bangladesh and Implementation of Delta Plan", according to a media release ahead of the event.
Engineer Abdus Sabur, member secretary of the sub-committee said this conference will create great opportunities for interaction and knowledge sharing among policy makers, industrialists, academicians, engineers, scientists and researchers from home and abroad which will contribute to building a technology and knowledge based society.
Read: PM Hasina: Time to groom the labour force to face challenges of 4IR
Those who are interested to participate at the conference need to submit research paper on different social and technological issues, including the 4IR, education technology, ICT, fuel and power, geo and blue technology, disaster prevention and recovery management, health and life science and applied science and emerging technologies.
Interested participants are asked to submit a summary of the research topic and curriculum vitae (CV) by September 30. Shortlisted candidates will be notified on October 10 after screening of research content and CV.
The participants have to submit their papers for presentation on October 25.
Besides, Students can submit their own designed posters by September 30 to participate in this event.
Best Paper Award and Best Poster Award will also be presented at the conference.
To participate in this conference, the registration fee for Bangladeshi professionals is Tk 1,000 while $ 100 for foreign professionals.
Read: Steps sought for re-skilling, upskilling of RMG workers to face 4IR challenges
On the other hand, a registration fee of Tk 200 has been set for Bangladeshi students and $ 50 for foreign students.
All information about the conference is available at www.4iref.org. Also interested can contact [email protected] or 01550155153.
We set the stage for next 50 years of ties: US Ambassador after meeting PM Hasina
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said his country “looks forward to growing its defense cooperation” with Bangladesh in addition to deepening ties between the two countries on key fronts.
“I’m excited about the possibilities for collaboration on the economy, development, public health, security, and climate change,” he said after his meeting today (September 13, 2022) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
They discussed Bangladesh’s successes and the two countries’ strong bilateral partnership over the past 50 years.
Read: 81,000 textbooks, funded by Japan, handed over at Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp
“We set the stage for our nations’ next 50 years of ties,” said the US Embassy quoting Ambassador Haas.
The Ambassador and the Prime Minister discussed 50 years of partnership between the United States and Bangladesh and ways the countries can deepen this partnership.
“We discussed our cooperation on a range of topics, including economic development, security, climate change, Rohingya refugee assistance, and COVID-19,” Ambassador Haas said.
He acknowledged Bangladesh’s remarkable economic progress, its leadership in climate change, its generosity in sheltering Rohingya refugees, and its tremendous contribution to global peacekeeping operations.
Ambassador Haas reaffirmed the United States’ continued support of Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities.
Read: “Bangladesh suffering from greenhouse gas impact caused by the developed world”
“During our meeting, I told the Prime Minister that I think one of our proudest joint achievements was in how we worked together to respond to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Ambassador Haas.
“I commend Bangladesh’s effort to vaccinate over 70 percent of its entire population” he added.
The United States has donated nearly 88 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, contributed over $140 million in COVID-19 related development and humanitarian assistance, and collaborated closely with Bangladesh to distribute this assistance throughout the country.