Foreign-Affairs
Dhaka calls for global cooperation to fight pandemic, its economic fallout
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has called for global cooperation to combat the COVID-19 pandemic for quick economic recovery.
He made the call while delivering a statement at the virtual COVID-19 Global Action Plan (GAP) Foreign Ministerial Meeting jointly convened by Japan and the US on Tuesday.
Momen said economic recovery remains at the core of fighting pandemic.
The fear of COVID induced stagflation caused an exodus of funds from the developing economies at a time when they need significant investments, he said.
Read: MoFA creating data-driven intelligent architecture for faster service across globe: FS
To support their economic recovery, Momen urged the advanced economies and global financial institutions to enhance flow of concessional loans, including in the health care sector; and increase financing in low-carbon developments and transfer green technologies to build back better.
During his intervention, Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s tremendous success in COVID management centered on saving lives, supporting livelihoods- especially of the most vulnerable ones, and posting quick economic recovery under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Financial packages worth 23 billion dollars helped the economy recover quickly and post a growth of 6.94 per cent in 2021, he informed.
He also stated that Bangladesh achieved the WHO target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the total population ahead of the deadline.
Being ranked 5th out of 121 countries in the Nikkei Covid-19 Recovery Index of May 2022 was a reflection of Bangladesh’s outstanding success in COVID management, he added.
Mentioning that the COVAX mechanism has proved the efficacy of multilateral mechanism, Momen stressed several global actions to fight the pandemic.
He reiterated Bangladesh’s demand to declare COVID-19 vaccines as ‘global public goods’.
Read: Bangladesh, Brazil sign visa exemption agreement
He stressed enabling countries of the global south like Bangladesh with a relatively advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing base, to build their own capabilities of manufacturing vaccines, testing and therapeutics products through appropriate provisions in IPR and technology transfer.
Momen also emphasised on strengthening of the National disease control agencies, particularly in dealing with new variants, with the help of the WHO and advanced countries.
He flagged the need of forming a high level panel of global leaders with gender and geographical balance to devise a blueprint for better global health architecture.
The Ministerial meeting was aimed at bringing together partners to maintain and strengthen political will to address COVID-19 challenges.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi, Secretary Blinken, and WHO Director-General Tedros set the stage at the outset of the meeting with their remarks, followed by interventions of the foreign ministers of 14 other countries, the World Bank president, the Acting Director of African CDC and senior officials of several other countries.
Bangladesh, Brazil sign visa exemption agreement
Bangladesh and Brazil have signed an agreement on visa exemption marking the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP who is on a four-day maiden official visit to Brazil signed the agreement on the exemption of visa for diplomatic and official passport holders on the 50 years of Bangladesh-Brazil diplomatic relations.
Foreign Minister of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França signed the agreement on behalf of the Brazilian government, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
A high-profile business delegation led by the President of FBCCI Jashim Uddin and the representatives of the Bangladesh-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) accompanied the State Minister during the visit.
On Monday, the State Minister delivered a lecture for the trainee diplomats at the Rio Branco institute (Foreign Services Academy of Brazil) in Brasília.
More than 100 guests comprising high officials from the host government, Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society, trainee diplomats, journalists along with members of FUNAG (Research Institute for International Relations) attended the event.
Instituto Rio Branco is a ‘’state of the art’’ training center for diplomats from Brazilian and other parts of the world.
Giving an overview of struggle for independence, the State Minister highlighted how the charismatic leader Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the nation to have the right to speak in its mother tongue and later the war for independence in 1971.
Stressing the geo-strategic importance of Bangladesh, he explained how Bangladesh is connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia for a greater economic feat.
MoFA creating data-driven intelligent architecture for faster service across globe: FS
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is creating a data-driven intelligent architecture for better and faster service across the globe.
He made the remarks while addressing a town hall meeting on "Innovation & E-Governance" in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
The Foreign Secretary highlighted several initiatives taken by the Ministry: securing the access of E-Nothi and D-Nothi for the Ministry and Bangladesh Missions abroad, introducing ibas++ in 20 Bangladesh Missions Abroad in the FY 2021-22, building Digital Archive system for the Ministry, introducing GRP in the Headquarters and all Bangladesh Missions abroad, and hosting "MoFA Telegram Series" for disseminating ideas on innovation, entrepreneurship and administration.
He shared the present and future initiatives of his Ministry.
Read: EU wants full implementation of labor roadmap for trade facility
Masud said identical websites were launched on 07 July 2022 across all Bangladesh Missions.
Now the website of the Ministry and all the Bangladesh Missions Abroad have the same outlay customised to the unique needs of the mission.
The Ministry digitalised 34 Consular services and 28 internal services with the help of MyGov team from the a2i.
The Foreign Secretary also mentioned that the Ministry is working on building a Neural Network for ensuring Data Driven Mechanism, setting up an innovation lab, creating a trade portal for promoting domestic products and services, securing stronger remittances, creating a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship, networking for technical expertise, setting up a call centre and introducing Artificial Intelligence for data analysis.
He also spoke on market expansion for Bangladeshi products, communal harmony, human trafficking, public private partnership, and refugee issues.
Masud emphasised on a more active role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the new challenges of the changing world (such as Ukraine crisis, energy crisis, Covid pandemic etc.) and stressed on the need for partnerships with other public and private institutions.
The Foreign Secretary expressed hope that there is no reason the Foreign Office of Bangladesh will lag behind any of the Foreign Offices of the world.
Read: Dhaka urges Jakarta to do more for repatriation of Rohingya refugees
He said the knowledge, wisdom, patriotism, dedication, determination and enthusiasm of the young officers will shape the future of Bangladesh.
Young diplomats of the Ministry especially the officers at the rank of Senior Assistant Secretary and Assistant Secretary participated the meeting with great enthusiasm and expressed their opinions and ideas on various issues.
Director General (ICT & ITIT) Dr. Syed Muntasir Mamun moderated the meeting.
Director General (Administration), Director General (General Services) and other high officials of the Ministry attended the meeting.
EU wants full implementation of labor roadmap for trade facility
The European Parliament's delegation on international trade on Tuesday said that the block wants full implementation of Bangladesh government’s commitment to implement a Labor Roadmap.
“We want the full and successful implementation of the Roadmap as a clear precondition for our further trade relations,” said Heidi Hautala, MEP, head of the delegation.
She was speaking in a ‘DCAB Talk’ with the European Parliament's Committee on international trade held at Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday.
Maximilian KRAH, Charles Whiteley, ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh also spoke in the function.
Rezaul Karim Lotus, president, Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) moderated the programme.
The EU delegation also included Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Jose Manuel GARCIA-MARGALLO, Sven SIMON, Agnes JONGERIUS and Jordi CANAS PEREZ.
“We note with concern reported delays in putting the labor law and the EPZ Labor Law in full compliance with international standards. Compliance with standards should be ensured for all special economic and processing zones,” said Heidi Hautala.
The EU has been fully supportive of this process. But as these are two fundamental requirements in order to successfully transition to GSP-plus, it would be urgent to anticipate deadlines for entry into force and to ensure full effective implementation. No delay should be acceptable, she said.
Dhaka urges Jakarta to do more for repatriation of Rohingya refugees
Bangladesh has sought a proactive support of Indonesia and of the ASEAN for an early repatriation of the stranded Myanmar nationals from Bangladesh to Myanmar.
Bangladesh and Indonesia held bilateral meeting in Jakarta on Monday and discussed the issue.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi led the respective delegation in the discussions.
The meeting reviewed the whole gamut of the existing excellent bilateral relations and both sides renewed their commitment for further strengthening it.
The two foreign ministers exchanged felicitations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The two countries agreed to accelerate cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, food, energy, health and pharmaceuticals, connectivity, ICT, tourism, halal trade, human resources development, defence, youth and cultural exchanges, etc.
They expressed optimism that the MoUs in the pipeline would be concluded soon.
Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Dhaka seeks proactive role from Indonesia, ASEAN
Bangladesh for inclusion of apparel in PTA with Indonesia
Bangladesh has urged Indonesia to consider including apparel items in the preferential trade agreement (PTA) that they have agreed to sign to reduce the yawning bilateral trade gap.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen met Indonesian Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan in Jakarta Monday.
The ministers reviewed the trade relations between the two countries and agreed to expedite the conclusion of the bilateral PTA on the occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.
Read: Indian Army Chief meets his Bangladesh counterpart
They agreed to further accelerate the exchange and interaction between the business communities of the countries.
Momen invited Zulkifli to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time this year.
Indian Army Chief meets his Bangladesh counterpart
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on his Bangladesh counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka Monday and discussed ways to enhance and strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.
General Pande commenced his three-day visit, his first foreign trip since assumption as Indian Army Chief, by laying a wreath at the Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment and paying tributes to the brave hearts who laid down their lives for the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
"It clearly shows his respect for Bangladesh and the existing historical and professional relationship between the two armies," Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) said Monday.
After the meeting, a special briefing was held at the Helmet Conference Room of the Army Headquarters for the Indian delegation.
After that, the Indian army chief praised the current leadership of the Bangladesh Army and its overall high standards.
Read: Indian army chief arrives in Dhaka
Earlier, General Manoj received an impressive guard of honour at Senakunja. He also planted a sapling to commemorate the friendship between the two armies.
Later he had courtesy meetings with Prime Minister's Security Affairs Advisor Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique (retired) and the chiefs of the Bangladesh Air Force and Bangladesh Navy.
In the afternoon, the Indian delegation paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi.
The delegation led by General Pande arrived in Dhaka Sunday at the invitation of the Bangladesh Army Chief.
Experts call for inclusive insurance, risk finance for all
Speakers at a workshop on Monday called upon the government, development partners and private sector for enabling an environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing for the country’s sustainable development, leaving no one behind.
The event titled ‘Inception workshop on Country Diagnostic on Inclusive Insurance and Risk Finance for Bangladesh‘ “was organized at a hotel in Dhaka, by the Financial Institutions Division (FID), Ministry of Finance, Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah, Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance, attended the workshop as the chief guest, while Mohammad Joynul Bari, Chairman, IDRA and Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh were the special guests.
Among others, Dr. Baqui Khalily, Chairman Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia and Abdullah Harun Pasha, Additional Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance were also present.
Also read: Default loans cross over 126 crore: Finance Minister
Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah said, “There is an increasing need for decision makers to be involved in developing the insurance products. They also need to understand how climate change risks could affect their investments and how to mitigate those risks through proper planning, incentive structures and financial instruments. In this context, to achieve the mission of developing an efficient, inclusive and robust financial market and services system, FID is continuously working on many projects. Being a part of this project is another milestone for our institution to enter the groundwork in inert-related areas of insurance and risk finance. ”
A.K.M. Mamunur Rashid, Climate Change Specialist, UNDP Bangladesh set the tone of the event.
He provided a brief overview of why inclusive insurance and risk financing are essential for Bangladesh to cover the risks of the most vulnerable communities. Jan Kellett, Team Leader, Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), UNDP delivered a presentation on “Initiatives of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, UNDP and several best practices in the space of inclusive insurance and risk financing”.
Van Nguyen from UNDP said, “ I hope that under the leadership of FID, MoF and IDRA as the regulatory authorities, strong representation of the insurance industry and relevant key stakeholders – the country diagnostic will provide us with a clear direction for creating enabling environment for mainstreaming inclusive insurance and risk financing in the country. We are committed to continuing our support in the future to strengthen the legislative frameworks, institutional capacity and insurance industry for enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.”
Dr. M. Baqui Khalily, Chairman, Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, First Vice President, Bangladesh Insurance Association, Netai Dey Sarker, Director, Department of Disaster Management, Government of Bangladesh also spoke at the event.
Also read:Commit 2% of GDP to climate finance each year: civil society organisations
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to its low-lying delta ecosystem that exposes the country to several disasters such as flash floods, monsoon floods, cyclones, storm surges, salinity intrusion, draught and unpredictable rainfall, said UNDP.
The government of Bangladesh (GoB) is keen to explore the insurance industry to consider it as a risk transfer mechanism. UNDP is conducting a country diagnostic that will document and assess the risks and vulnerability in Bangladesh considering the existing enabling environment and financial instruments.
The diagnostic study will highlight challenges, opportunities, and areas where UNDP can, together with partners, provide the necessary support for the government and private stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing.
MOFA wins Bangabandhu Public Administration Award 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been chosen for "Bangabandhu Public Administration Award 2022" under general administration and management category recognising MoFA's significant contribution.The award will be given on July 23 while marking the National Public Services Day.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually join the event to be held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Saturday morning.
Also read: MoFa holds training on e-governance on easy and quick services"Great news. Hearty congratulations to all officials and staff of the Ministry for a job well done," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB on Monday.He said their setting up of Bangabandu Corners in all Missions abroad and headquarters, Gonohottha Center, Public Diplomacy initiatives, observation of Mujib Chironthon to celebrate Bangabandhu's 100th anniversary and Golden Jubilee, setting up of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Gallery and Research Center, introduction of Bangabandhu Lecture Series, introduction of Bangabandhu Diplomatic Award of Excellence, setting up of Bangabandhu Centers and Professorships in few prestigious universities, introduction of Bangabandhu-UNESCO Award for Creative Economy, publication of few books on Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina, etc helped promoting the values, principles, the sacrifices of Bangabandhu and Bangladesh and his life stories, the economic and social achievements of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina all across the nations.
Also read: PM to inaugurate new MoFA building ThursdayAlso successful organization of World Peace Conference in Dhaka last December to commemorate Bangabandhu's 100th anniversary added to it, Momen said.
Dhaka, New Delhi discuss boosting cooperation in railways
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on Monday discussed with Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan boosting cooperation in rail communication between their two countries.
The two discussed the current and future projects taken up by the Bangladesh government under Indian finance. The Indian HC proposed to launch a fourth interstate rail service at the meeting at railway minister’s office.
The Indian envoy said that at present, three trains named Maitree, Bandhan and Mitali Express are running between the two countries. Due to demands from the passengers, another train can be added to the fleet.
The Railways Minister’s recent India tour also came up during the discussion. Sujan said that during his tour, he had visited a factory where modern railway coaches were being built.
Sujan expressed his eagerness to buy high quality tourist coaches from India for the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route. He also expressed his interest to buy railway engines and luggage vans under Indian line of credit (LoC).
Read: Dhaka, Delhi will soon be connected through 6 rail links: Shringla
During the discussion, Sujan stressed the need for strengthening Bangladesh’s connectivity with Nepal and Bhutan. With this in mind, the minister put emphasis on strengthening the Chilahati-Haldibari rail route.
A new rail line is being built between Panchagarh and Banglabandha. The Indian government is yet to fix the place where the rail line will end.
The minister urged the Indian envoy to ramp up the process of selecting the site.
Read: Bangladesh-India train connectivity resumes after 2 years
Sujan and Doraiswami also discussed various projects undertaken by the Bangladesh government under Indian LoC, including Bogura-Sirajganj rail lines, Khulna-Mongla rail lines, and the third and fourth rail lines from Dhaka to Tongi.
Md Humayun Kabir, secretary of the Railways Ministry and Dhirendra Nath Majumder, Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Railway were present at the meeting.