Foreign-Affairs
British High Commission opens condolence book for Queen
British High Commission in Dhaka has opened a condolence book for Queen Elizabeth II at the British High Commissioner’s residence.
The condolence book will remain open from 10am to 4pm this week (Sunday to Thursday)
An online book is also available www.royal.uk, said the High Commission.
World leaders and dignitaries have been paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96.
Read: British High Commission marks Commonwealth Day
They have honoured her deep sense of duty and her resilience, as well as the Queen's sense of humour and kindness.
US flag flies at half-mast remembering 9/11, legacy of Queen Elizabeth II
The flag of the US Embassy in Dhaka has been kept at half-mast today (September 11) remembering the victims who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We remember the 2,996 victims who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,” said the US Embassy in a message on Sunday.
Read:Bangladesh, US host 46th Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar Monday
No matter how much time passes since that tragic event, the US Mission in Dhaka said, adding that they shall never forget them or the families that suffered such great loss.
The US Embassy also remembered the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We join people around the world in mourning her passing, and we will forever be inspired by the memory of her service, leadership, and friendship,” said the US Embassy.
Read:Momen mourns UK's longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II's death
EU envoy launches ‘Erasmus+ Roadshow’ in Bangladesh
The European Union (EU) delegation in Bangladesh on Sunday began the ‘Erasmus+ Roadshow’ campaign to promote Erasmus + programme opportunities.
“Delighted to launch the ‘Erasmus+ Roadshow’ at the AIUB (American International University-Bangladesh) to publicise the EU’s scholarship and exchange programme and to help boost the number of EU scholarships in Bangladesh from the record high of 151 students last year,” EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley tweeted after opening the campaign formally.
The campaign will continue till September 27 at 13 different public and private universities in Dhaka and Rajshahi to promote Erasmus + programme opportunities.
Read: EU delegation to run ‘Erasmus+ Roadshow’ in Dhaka, Rajshahi
Bangladesh, US host 46th Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar Monday
The four-day 46th Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS) 2022, hosted by Bangladesh Army and US Army Pacific, will begin at a Dhaka hotel Monday.
The IPAMS is one of the preeminent army engagements that provide a forum for senior military leaderships from the Indo-Pacific regional land forces to exchange views and ideas on peace and stability.
The objective of the 46th edition of the seminar is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the seminar as the chief guest using an online platform, according to the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate.
Read: Bangladesh, US to host seminar for senior military officers to promote peace, stability
The 46th edition of IPAMS sessions will focus on "robust peacekeeping," "women empowerment," and "land power in regional cooperation."
Delegates from 26 countries, headed by senior military leaders, will join the seminar, which will end on September 15.
The junior and non-commissioned officers from the participating countries will attend a session on leadership challenges.
The delegates will have the opportunity to visit one of the camps of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Cox's Bazar.
The IPAMS participation has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1977, to 31 nations in South Korea's Seoul in 2017.
Bangladesh is co-hosting the seminar for the third time. Previously Bangladesh co-hosted the event in 1993 and 2014.
Warned Myanmar against firing shots towards Bangladesh, says Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said that the government has asked Myanmar to refrain from firing shots towards the Bangladesh border.
“A few mortar shells landed on the Bangladeshi side from Myanmar recently. We’ve lodged strong protests from every level of the government against the incident. We’ve also sent a message to our Ambassador to Myanmar through the Foreign Ministry. I hope Myanmar will show restraint soon,” said the Minister.
The home minister made the remarks at a seminar organized by Bangladesh Mahila Oikya Parishad at the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of National Museum as the chief guest.
Also read: Myanmar envoy summoned: Dhaka shares “deep concerns” with Naypyidaw over border violation
Replying to a question, the minister said that he doesn’t want to say anything about Babul Akhter’s allegations until the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) completes its probe.
“PBI’s probe will determine whether the allegations made by Babul are true or not. We have trust in PBI. They always conduct thorough investigations. All confusion will be cleared once the PBI investigation is completed,” said Kamal.
Former Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akhtar lodged a complaint with a court against six police officers along with PBI Chief Banaj Kumar Majumder for alleged custodial torture.
Also read: No more refugees from Myanmar this time: FM
The other five accused in the case are PBI Chittagong Metro Police Superintendent Naima Sultana and District Police Superintendent Nazmul Hasan, PBI Inspectors AK Mohiuddin Salim, Santosh Chakma, and Enayet Kabir.
Momen to be part of PM’s entourage during upcoming UK, US visits
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will be accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her upcoming visits to London, New York and Washington, said an official of the foreign ministry.
Momen was not part of the PM’s entourage during her just-concluded state visit to India (September 5-8), citing “health reasons”.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the United Kingdom and the United States from September 15 to September 30, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The seventy-seventh session of the UN General Assembly opens on September 13 with the theme, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.”
Read: Momen not accompanying PM in India: Dipu Moni questions media’s use of “dropped”
The theme stems from the recognition that the world is at a critical moment in the history of the United Nations due to complex and interconnected crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, humanitarian challenges of unprecedented nature, a tipping point in climate change as well as growing concerns about threats to the global economy.
At the UN General Assembly, on September 20, heads of states and governments will explore solutions to the outstanding global challenges.
This year’s general debate, which runs through September 26, is expected to be fully in-person.
Read: Dhaka, Delhi likely to sign 7 deals, MoUs during PM's India visit: FM
Fiscal Transparency: Bangladesh made significant progress, still didn’t meet requirements
Bangladesh government made significant progress towards meeting international requirements in fiscal transparency, but it still fell short of the minimum standard, says a new report released by the US.
The 2022 Fiscal Transparency Report says that fiscal transparency informs citizens how government and tax revenues are spent and is a critical element of effective public financial management.
The report was released yesterday (September 9, 2022).
Fiscal transparency provides citizens a window into government budgets and those citizens, in turn, hold governments accountable. It underpins market confidence and sustainability.
Also read: Fiscal policy support needed for economy to tackle inflation: CPD
The government of Bangladesh did not meet the minimum requirements but made significant progress in fiscal transparency, the report said.
Since 2008, in consultation with other relevant US agencies, the Department of State has conducted fiscal transparency assessments of governments that receive US foreign assistance.
The Fiscal Transparency Report reviews efforts by 141 governments (and the Palestinian Authority) to meet the minimum requirements of fiscal transparency; assesses those governments that did not meet the minimum requirements; and indicates whether governments that did not meet the minimum requirements of fiscal transparency made significant progress toward meeting the requirements.
Read How to safely send remittance to Bangladesh?
How to improve the fiscal transparency of Bangladesh?
The US report says Bangladesh’s fiscal transparency can be improved by:
— Preparing budget documents according to internationally accepted principles.
— Ensuring that the supreme audit institution meets international standards of independence and has sufficient resources.
— Publishing timely audit reports that contain substantive findings, recommendations, and narratives.
— Making basic information about natural resource extraction awards public and consistently available.
Read Hope amidst forex crisis: Bangladesh received $2.03bn remittance in Aug
During the review period, the government made significant progress by publishing its end-of-year report within a reasonable period.
It also made its executive budget proposal and enacted budget widely and easily accessible to the public, including online.
Information on debt obligations was publicly available.
Budget documents provided a reasonably complete picture of the government’s planned expenditures and revenue streams, including natural resource revenues.
Financial allocations to and earnings from state-owned enterprises were included in publicly available budget documents.
Also read: Universal Pension Scheme from new fiscal year
Information in the budget was considered generally reliable, although budget documents were not prepared according to internationally accepted principles.
The government’s supreme audit institution reviewed the government accounts, but its reports did not contain substantive findings and were not made publicly available within a reasonable period.
The supreme audit institution did not meet international standards of independence.
The government specified in law or regulation and appeared to follow in practice the criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licenses.
Read Bangladesh receives $2.09 billion remittance in July; highest in 14 months
Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was not consistently made available to public.
2022 Fiscal Transparency Report (Full): https://www.state.gov/fiscal-transparency-report/.
No lasting solution to Rohingya issue without repatriation
Repatriation of the Rohingya refugees has become essential to finding a permanent resolution of the issue, speakers said at a webinar on Friday.
The virtual seminar, titled ‘Rohingya Problem: Possibility of Repatriation”, was organized by the permanent mission of Bangladesh in Geneva in association with Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), marking the fifth anniversary of the largest exodus of Rohingyas to Bangladesh in 2017.
In his introductory speech, Md Mustafizur Rahman, Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Bangladesh to Switzerland, said that a permanent resolution of the Rohingya problem will expedite regional stability and economic prosperity.
“The United Nations and other countries can engage in meaningful discussions with Myanmar over the Rohingya issue. Bangladesh is working tirelessly with Myanmar and the international community to find a solution in this regard,” the Ambassador said.
Read: Repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar ultimate solution: S Korea
Speakers at the seminar emphasized on the creation of a convenient condition by Myanmar for the repatriation of the Rohingyas through restoring their rights as citizens and abolishing all the discriminatory laws.
They also said that the quick settlement of all the cases that are currently running in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Myanmar will help in the voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas.
The virtual seminar was presided over by Antonia Malvei, Chief of LAW. Priya Pillai, Chief of Asia Justice Coalition Secretariat, Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, Shahidul Haque, Delhi University’s ICCR Bangabandhu Chair and Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya activist, among others, spoke at the event.
UN for adoption, implementation of national strategy for cutting poverty among Bangladesh's differently-abled
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Friday called on Bangladesh to adopt and implement a national strategy to cut poverty among differently-abled people.
The committee noted the extreme poverty in the differently-abled community and the absence of social protection measures.
It recommended developing a robust social protection scheme that guarantees an adequate living standard, including support for disability-related expenses.
Also, the committee was "concerned" that differently-abled people, especially women and members of religious and indigenous groups, are deprived of their legal capacity to enter into contracts or inherit property in the country.
It requested that Bangladesh amend its legislation to introduce decision-making measures that duly respect the autonomy, will and preferences of differently-abled people.
Read: Crisis in Myanmar taking an enormous toll on children: UN committee warns
The committee issued its country reviews on Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, New Zealand and Singapore, as well as a special report on the situation of differently-abled people in Ukraine.
The findings contain the committee's main concerns and recommendations on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as positive aspects.
Momen mourns UK's longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II's death
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul has expressed deep shock at the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch.
"A legend passed away. She left a legacy incomparable in human history and lived with honour, grace and dignity. We are deeply shocked," Momen said Thursday.
The Foreign Minister remembered his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II twice – once when he was a school kid in 1961 and when she visited the then East Pakistan and again in 2010 when she paid a visit to the UN in New York.
"May her soul rest in peace," Momen said.
Queen Elizabeth II died today at Balmoral aged 96 after reigning for 70 years.
Her family gathered at her Scottish estate after concerns grew about her health.
The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change. Her eldest son, Charles, becomes King Charles III, and the head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
He said the death of his beloved mother was "a moment of great sadness."
Also read: Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's longest reigning monarch, no more