Foreign-Affairs
Dhaka, Delhi "committed to further enhance" bilateral military ties
The second Bangladesh-India Tri-Services Staff talks were held in New Delhi on Wednesday in a "warm and cordial" atmosphere.
Both sides, while expressing satisfaction at the scope and scale of the Tri-Services military cooperation, "committed to enhance" the bilateral military ties further, according to Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) headquarters.
Read: Japan, UNDP to help Bangladesh manage infectious health care waste
Japan, UNDP to help Bangladesh manage infectious health care waste
The government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday launched a new project to address the unprecedented rise in infectious health care waste caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that is overwhelming waste treatment facilities.
The project will support the national health agencies and other key stakeholders in Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives.
The two-year $11 million ‘Project for the Improvement of Infectious Waste Management’ was officially launched at a signing ceremony in New York City, said the UN agency.
Ambassador Takeshi Osuga, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations and Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP attended the signing ceremony.
“The government of Japan is proud to support Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives to establish sustainable solutions for health care waste management, that will provide long-term benefits for health care workers, patients and the wider community, as well as contribute to protecting human security,” said the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.
Read:Holding fair polls requires equal role from all sides: Ambassador Haas
Improperly managed health care waste is recognized as a significant source of pollutants.
For example, disposing untreated health care waste in open dumps and landfill sites can cause soil and water contamination, while inadequate incineration of medical waste can lead to the release of persistent organic pollutants.
Many low- and middle-income countries have historically had limited public and private investments in sustainable waste treatment systems, and now find themselves in the dire situation of mounting health care waste that is beyond their waste management capacity.
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present compound challenges for countries on their path to recovery and sustainable development,” said Kanni Wignaraja.
“The threat posed by inadequate health care waste management systems is one such challenge that requires urgent attention, so we can better safeguard our health as well as that of the environment.”
The project will support key stakeholders in the three countries to deploy locally appropriate health care waste management practices and technologies to help protect human health, and minimize the pandemic's environmental and social impacts.
Health facilities in 26 sub-districts in Bangladesh, in 15 districts across 4 cities in Bhutan, and 6 atolls in the Maldives will benefit from the support.
Health care workers will receive training on properly treating and handling infectious waste, which requires special treatment processes to ensure there is no risk of onward disease transmission to patients, hospital staff and nearby communities. Health facilities will also be equipped with specialized health care waste disposal equipment and digital management systems for improved coordination.
UNDP’s work in health is guided by its Strategic Plan and HIV and Health Strategy, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Through a systems and governance approach, and in collaboration with other UN agencies and partners, UNDP helps countries to deliver more strongly integrated health and development solutions that have equity, resilience and sustainability at their core.
Holding fair polls requires equal role from all sides: Ambassador Haas
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Wednesday laid emphasis on collective efforts to hold free and fair elections in Bangladesh, noting that holding fair elections is a complicated task.
Sharing the US experience, the envoy said holding free and fair elections is a “complicated task” that requires involvement of every part of the society.
“And just to be clear, the United States does not favor any political party in Bangladesh over any other,” he said, adding that the United States is proud of their close partnership with Bangladesh over the past 50 years.
While speaking at the launching ceremony of an e-learning platform titled "Politics Matters" at a city hotel, Haas said the Election Commission, government, media, law enforcement agencies, civil society and political parties – everyone has an important role to play.
The envoy said if anyone of them fails to fulfill their responsibility or any one of them prevents another to fulfill their responsibility, free and fair elections become nearly impossible.
He said they continue to be a strong supporter of this country’s efforts to improve the quality of life for all its citizens.
The ambassador said a fundamental way to improve the quality of life for citizens is to give them the opportunity to participate in free, fair, and transparent elections held in accordance with international standards.
“What better way is there to allow the people to share their voices on what matters to them than through their ability to freely cast their ballot?” he mentioned.
Read:Estimate of Bangladesh money in Swiss Banks is “purely speculative”: Swiss Envoy
Estimate of Bangladesh money in Swiss Banks is “purely speculative”: Swiss Envoy
Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard has said any estimate on deposits of Bangladeshi money in the Swiss banks is “purely speculative” and no conclusion can be drawn on the basis of media and other reports.
“Switzerland is not a safe haven for corrupt money,” she said adding “When it comes to the Bangladeshi money deposited in the Swiss banks - the deposits meant by individuals …represent only one aspect of various sources of public and private funds.”
The Swiss envoy said … no conclusion can be drawn on the volumes of private deposits from Bangladeshi customers in Switzerland on the basis of these reports of the Swiss National Bank.
She made the remarks while responding to a volley of questions on the issue at DCAB Talk on Wednesday. The briefing began by observing one-minute silence to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members who were brutally assassinated on August 15 in 1975.
Read:Switzerland a serious global player, reliable partner of Bangladesh: Ambassador Chuard
DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event held at Jatiya Press Club (JPC).
Bangladeshi media outlets reported that funds parked by Bangladeshi nationals and entities in all the Swiss banks swelled by 54 per cent to around CHF (Swiss Franc) 871 million (Tk 83.18 billion) in the last calendar year. The amount was around CHF 563 million in 2020.
Responding to a question on information exchange on the issue, she said Switzerland is really committed to implementing international standards. In accordance with these international standards they can have some specific regulations and agreements also with the country to exchange this type of information, she said.
“So that something should be developed,” said the ambassador, adding that they have been providing to the government all the information regarding how to reach an agreement on these matters but no request has been submitted regarding any particular funding.
On the statistics, the Swiss envoy said, money of the individuals that is placed, for instance, in Swiss banks - not just in Switzerland but in the Swiss banks worldwide - has recently been decreasing.
She said they certainly do not encourage capital flight and the Swiss bank system is the most renowned and internationally connected system.
At all the financial centers, the envoy said, there is always a risk of abuse but Switzerland really takes steps to mitigate its risk as fast as possible.
Switzerland a serious global player, reliable partner of Bangladesh: Ambassador Chuard
Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard on Wednesday said they want to engage on the UN Security Council and are looking forward to working with Bangladesh to pursue their collective actions in favor of peace, international law, sustainable development and human rights in the multilateral fora.
"But let me be clear here. This will not be an easy task: taken into account the numerous global challenges which we are facing, cooperation is essential," she said, adding that Switzerland is a serious global player and a reliable partner of Bangladesh.
The Ambassador was speaking at the DCAB Talk at Jatiya Press Club hosted by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB).
The briefing began by observing one-minute silence to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members who were brutally assassinated on August 15 in 1975.
Read: Exports to China can grow with extension of duty-free access to 380-plus new products
DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event.
The Swiss envoy said their programme complements the support for more trade and direct foreign investments. Altogether, she said, for the next four years, Switzerland will invest about US$ 130 million.
“Our overall goal is to support a sustainable LDC graduation, promote a more prosperous, just and resilient society, and contribute to peaceful coexistence,” she said, adding that they also work on critical issues such as climate change, human rights, gender equality and women’s economic and political empowerment - just to name a few.
Ambassador Chuard said what her country is engaged in and contributes here in Bangladesh is actually a reflection of what Switzerland stands for and promotes globally.
"This is part of our broader quest to make a better, more secure, prosperous and sustainable future for all," she said.
Ambassador Chuard said with the graduation from the Least Developed Countries category approaching, Bangladesh is at a crossroads.
“Equipped with Swiss expertise and forte in technology, innovation and R&D, we stand ready to expand our economic partnership with you to make this transformative journey smooth and sustainable, leaving no one behind,” she said.
The Swiss envoy said solidarity is an underlying aspect in the bilateral relations and her country has proven to be a committed, effective and innovative development partner, investing over US$ 1 billion in international cooperation in this country in the last five decades.
In June this year, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly elected Switzerland as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2023-2024.
Dialogue, confidence building and consensus-seeking are in our DNA, said the Ambassador, focusing on their shared commitments that they can really make a difference.
The Swiss envoy said they will continue committed partnership with Bangladesh towards the next stage of its socio-economic development.
To this end, she said, good governance, respect and promotion of human rights, empowerment and inclusion of women and minority groups, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation, will remain at the heart of our action and development cooperation.
Read: Manpower export to Malaysia resumes after four-year gap
The Ambassador said they will also work with drivers of change such as women and youth and focus on strengthening civil society voices and participation to provide checks and balances, which are key for sustainability and inclusivity.
"We are keen to reinforce our engagement with Bangladesh on SDGs since they remain our compass for the years to come. In that regard, one SDG that is particularly dear to our hearts is SDG 16 – peace, justice and strong institutions - since it is so closely interlinked with other SDGs," she said.
Indeed, the envoy said, without peace, justice and inclusion, achieving goals such as ending poverty, ensuring education, promoting economic growth seem difficult or even impossible.
"Multilateralism matters, now more than ever, especially for countries like ours," she said.
Exports to China can grow with extension of duty-free access to 380-plus new products
The extension of duty-free treatment to 98% of tariff lines will help Bangladesh to further increase its exports to China, the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka said Tuesday.
A tariff line is World Trade Organization-jargon for a product as defined in lists of tariff rates.
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his recent visit to Bangladesh, announced that the duty-free treatment of 98% of goods in the different tariff lines originating from Bangladesh will take into effect on September 1.
This will further help to boost Bangladesh’s export to China, said the Embassy. But what if the new products added to the list find no demand in China? That is why some perusal of the new tariff lines, and just how many the 1% rise represents, is important.
China had been providing duty-free facility to 97 percent of Bangladeshi products, including all garment products, since July 1, 2021. We now know that 383 new products, including leather items, have been added to the list now, thereby expanding the benefit to 98 percent of the products.
Read: Bangladesh-China ties promoting common prosperity, shared benefits: Beijing
Here the Chinese side are keen to point to the addition of leather products from Bangladesh that will now enjoy duty free access to the huge Chinese market. Several kinds of basic leather products added into the 98% zero-tariff lines are "good news" to Bangladeshi exporters in the leather industry, which the Chinese have been really playing up as an industry with huge potential in Bangladesh..
Businessmen in the leather industry have already been focusing on the opportunity provided by the duty-free treatment, according to the Chinese Embassy.
Programs are even underway to facilitate Chinese manufacturing enterprises related to leather products to form business relations with Bangladesh’s leather exporters, it said.
Bangladesh has many high-quality agricultural, livestock and fishery products too, many of which have been added to the list.
For example, China said, the national fish of Bangladesh, the hilsa, is among both the 97% and the 98% zero tariff lines, and has already acquired the inspection and quarantine access to the Chinese market.
Bangladesh’s mango, jackfruit, guave, honey, and beef are all listed as duty free products in both the 97% and the 98% tariff lines.
Varied by different categories of tariff lines, compared with duty-free treatment on 97% tariff lines, there are several hundred products now added to the list in getting to the 98%,
Some of these are agricultural products, crude oil of groundnut, crude cotton-seed oil, liquid crystal display panel, paper product, saloon cars and chemicals, are all included, said the Chinese Embassy.
Manpower export to Malaysia resumes after four-year gap
Malaysia on Tuesday resumed recruitment of manpower from Bangladesh after a long pause of four years as the first batch of Bangladeshi workers reached Kuala Lumpur.
A flight of Air Asia carrying 53 Bangladeshi workers landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 5:22am, said the High Commission of Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Bangladesh High Commissioner Md Golam Sarwar welcomed them at the airport and expressed satisfaction over the resumption of workers recruitment.
Bangladesh expects that around five lakh workers will get employment opportunities in Malaysia within the next three years.
The High Commission of Bangladesh said the remittance inflows from Malaysia will exceed USD 3 billion with the recruitment of new five lakh workers.
Read: Bangladesh, Malaysia reaffirm commitment for further strengthening ties
The workers were employed in a Malaysian food processing industry Jimat Jaya.
According to the new salary scale of the Malaysian government, they will get a salary of at least Tk 37,000 per month.
Besides, they will be provided with overtime, free accommodation, health insurance, work accident insurance and other benefits as applicable under Malaysian law.
High Commissioner Golam Sarwar expressed his gratitude to all the Bangladeshi and Malaysian colleagues for the resumption of recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
Minister of Labor Wing of High Commission Najmus Sadat Salim along with officials of Human Resources Observatory of Malaysia and journalists from both countries were present at the airport.
In 2018, the then Malaysian government shut the door of his country’s labour market to workers from Bangladesh for alleged irregularities by hiring agencies in both countries.
At the centre of the latest dispute is that the Malaysian government wants the recruitment to be done by a selected group of 25 Bangladeshi agencies. Dhaka rejects the idea as it will leave out many mostly smaller agencies (over 1,500) out of the process and business.
Bangladesh mission in Washington observes birth anniversary of Bangamata
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC has observed the 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, wife of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, recalling Bangamata's great sacrifice and dedication to her family, society and the nation.
The Embassy organised different programmes at the Bangabandhu Auditorium on the occasion on Monday.
Messages from the President and the Prime Minister on the occasion were read out by Defence Attaché Brigadier General Md Shahedul Islam and Minister (Political) Dewan Ali Ashraf.
Later, a discussion session was held, which was presided over by M Shahidul Islam, Ambassdor of Bangladesh to the United States, and participated by Senior Secretary of the Defence Ministry of Bangladesh Golam Md Hashibul Alam as the guest of honor.
Read:Cultural organisations observe Bangamata’s 92nd birth anniversary
Defence Secretary Hashibul Alam paid tributes to Bangamata and remembered Bangamata’s role as the life partner of the Father of the Nation, as well as her contribution to the liberation struggle of Bangladesh.
Ambassador Islam highlighted Bangamata's tremendous sacrifice and dedication to her family, society and nation as well as her influence in the life of Bangabandhu, and her behind-the-scene but pivotal role in determining the course of the history of Bangladesh.
Eminent journalist and newscaster Roquia Haidar, Deputy Chief of Mission Ferdousi Shahriar and Counsellor Arifa Rahman Ruma also spoke on the occasion.
Counsellor and Head of Chancery Md Mahmudul Islam conducted the programmes.
After the discussion, a documentary on the life and works of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib was screened.
A special prayer was offered, seeking eternal peace for departed souls of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, their family members, and others martyred on the fateful night of 15 August 1975.
Earlier, the Defence Secretary and the Ambassador placed a floral wreath at the portrait of Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib to pay their homage. Senior officers of the Embassy were present on the occasion.
2 Bangladesh nationals receive honorary British awards
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson has presented the insignia of honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) to Tanazzeena Qureshi and of the British Empire Medal (BEM) to Linus Pradip Gomes.
The honours were presented at a ceremony held at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Dhaka on Monday.
Tanazzeena Qureshi received the honorary MBE for her exemplary service to the Department for Work and Pensions team in the British High Commission in Bangladesh, ensuring that UK pensions and benefits are correctly paid to those in Bangladesh who are entitled to receive them.
Linus Pradip Gomes made an outstanding contribution as Butler for more than 30 years at the Residence of the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, ensuring the success of high level entertainment and the comfort of the Residence’s many guests.
British High Commissioner Dickson said he is delighted to present these awards to Tanazzeena Qureshi and Linus Pradip Gomes on behalf of the Queen.
"They have been two of our finest colleagues in their contribution to promoting British interests in Bangladesh. I congratulate them on their achievements and wish them all the very best," he said.
Ambassador Muhith briefs Security Council as Chair of Peacebuilding Commission
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith has briefed the Security Council at its high-level open debate on “Peace and Security in Africa: Capacity Building for sustaining peace”, in his capacity as the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). Ambassador Muhith thanked the Security Council for inviting the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission and referred to the support extended by the PBC in discussing and strengthening the peacebuilding priorities of Africa. He shared PBC's past and ongoing engagements in various countries and regions in building capacities in the areas of sustainable development, transitional justice, women's equal participation in socio-economic and political process, empowerment of youth and accompanying the regional and sub-regional peacebuilding initiatives.
The Chair called for increased partnerships with international and regional financial organizations and promoting south-south cooperation to build effective, accountable, inclusive and responsive institutions at the national and local levels in Africa.
He highlighted the important role of African Union and other regional and sub regional organizations and expressed PBC’s commitment to working more closely with the African Union and its Peace and Security Council.
The important role of civil society in building the capacity in Africa was also recognized, according to a media release.
Ambassador Muhith also acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the Peacebuilding Fund in supporting peacebuilding and sustaining peace in Africa.
The PBC Chair also reiterated PBC’s call for adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for peacebuilding. The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is a 31-member intergovernmental advisory body that supports peace efforts in conflict-affected countries.
Ambassador Muhith is the present Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission as the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York.