Foreign-Affairs
Padma Bridge: US greets Bangladesh; lauds its leadership
The United States has congratulated Bangladesh on the momentous opening of the Padma Bridge scheduled Saturday.
"It is also another example of Bangladesh’s leadership in promoting regional connectivity in South Asia," said the US Embassy in Dhaka in a media note on Friday.
Read: Padma Bridge: How the nation’s dream turns into reality
Building sustainable transportation infrastructure to connect people and goods efficiently is important to fostering inclusive economic growth, said the US Embassy.
The Padma Bridge will create new and important linkages within Bangladesh, boosting commerce and improving the quality of life, it said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to formally inaugurate the Padma Bridge on Saturday.
Japan honours businessman Abdul Haque with Order of the Rising Sun
The government of Japan has conferred the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette" award to Bangladeshi businessman Abdul Haque.
Abdul, one of the founding members of the Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI), received the award at the official residence of Ito Naoki, ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, Thursday for his contribution to strengthening Bangladesh-Japan economic ties.
He is the 13th Bangladesh national and the second businessman in the country to receive the decoration from the government of Japan.
"Mr Haque is also known as 'Mr Japan' in the local business community out of respect for his contributions to helping Japanese companies enter the market and resolve their problems. His achievements and contributions to Japan-Bangladesh relations are remarkable," Ambassador Naoki said.
Lack of safe drinking water impacts 8.5m schoolchildren in Bangladesh: UN agencies
In Bangladesh, one in five schools (19 percent) lack safe drinking water, impacting 8.5 million schoolchildren, the UN agencies said Thursday.
More than four in ten schools lack basic sanitation facilities composed of gender-segregated toilets with privacy (43 percent) and basic hygiene services composed of handwashing stations with water and soap (44 percent), impacting over 19 million schoolchildren.
The UN agencies' report also highlights that 7 percent of schools in Bangladesh have no unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities at all, meaning that over 3 million children go to a school where there is no safe drinking water, no latrine and no handwashing station.
Despite a steady decline in the proportion of schools without basic services, deep inequalities persist between and within countries.
Schoolchildren in the least developed countries (LDCs) and fragile contexts are the most affected, and emerging data shows that few schools have disability-accessible WASH services.
"Far too many children go to schools without safe drinking water, clean toilets, and soap for handwashing – making learning difficult," said Kelly Ann Naylor, UN's children's agency UNICEF director of water, sanitation, hygiene and climate, environment, energy, and disaster risk reduction.
"The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of providing healthy and inclusive learning environments. To protect children's education, the road to recovery must include equipping schools with the most basic services to fight infectious diseases today and in the future."
"Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is not only essential for effective infection prevention and control but also a prerequisite for children's health, development and well-being," said Dr Maria Neira, World Health Organization (WHO) director at the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health. "Schools should be settings where children thrive and not be subjected to hardship or infections due to lack of, or poorly maintained, basic infrastructure."
Schools play a critical role in promoting the formation of healthy habits and behaviours, yet many still lacked basic WASH services in 2021.
READ: Sylhet: Flood-hit city dwellers suffer crisis of gas, power and safe drinking water
According to the latest data from the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, globally, 29 percent of schools still lack basic drinking water services, impacting 546 million schoolchildren; 28 percent of schools still lack basic sanitation services, impacting 539 million schoolchildren; and 42 per cent of schools still do not have basic hygiene services, impacting 802 million schoolchildren.
One-third of children without basic services at their school lives are from LDCs, and over half live in fragile contexts.
Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania are the only two regions where coverage of basic sanitation and hygiene services in schools remains under 50 percent; sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where coverage of basic drinking water services in schools remains under 50 percent.
Achieving universal coverage in schools globally by 2030 requires a 14-fold increase in current rates of progress on basic drinking water, a three-fold increase in rates of progress on basic sanitation, and a five-fold increase in basic hygiene services.
In LDCs and fragile contexts, achieving universal coverage of basic sanitation services in schools by 2030 would require over 100-fold and 50-fold increases in respective current rates of progress.
Improving pandemic preparedness and response will require more frequent monitoring of WASH and other elements of infection prevention and control (IPC) in schools, including cleaning, disinfection and solid waste management.
Providing disability-accessible WASH services in schools is the key to achieving inclusive learning for all children.
Still, only a limited number of countries report on this indicator and national definitions vary and far fewer provide disability-accessible WASH.
Emerging national data shows that disability-accessible WASH coverage is low and varies widely between school levels and urban and rural locations, with schools more likely to have accessible drinking water than accessible sanitation or hygiene.
In half the countries with data available, less than a quarter of schools had disability-accessible toilets.
In most countries with data, schools were more likely to have adapted infrastructure and materials – such as ramps, assistive technology, and learning materials – than disability-accessible toilets.
Italy keen to supply LNG to Bangladesh
Italy is keen to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh.
Such interest of the European country was expressed when its ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata met State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at his office at the ministry on Thursday.
The Italian Envoy informed the state minister that its state coordinated energy company Eni SPA is interested to supply the LNG and also wants to work with Bangladesh to contribute in the field of sustainable energy, gas exploration, LNG and traditional refinery development, wind, hydrogen and new technology invention.
Also read: Global oil, LNG price hike impact Bangladesh: Momen
He also presented the current state of Italian companies’ operations in energy and technology sectors in Bangladesh.
The Italian envoy discussed different issues including decarbonsation, bio refining, development of renewable energy, hydrocarbon production.
Appreciating the Italian interest, Nasrul Hamid said the European company will be welcomed in Bangladesh.
He said the business model through which the Italian company wants to supply the LNG should be discussed at the expert level.
“Bangladesh and Italy can exchange their experiences in oil and gas exploration and also in the development of hydrogen fuel,” he said.
Also read: Bangladesh purchases LNG, fertiliser at lower rates as prices fall in global market
Both the nations would be benefited if such experiences are exchanged at the officials’ level under a certain framework, he added.
Senior Vice president of the International Affairs Analysis and Business Support Department of Eni SPA Marco Piredda, Vice President of the Business Development Department Mauro Rinaudo, were among others present in the meeting.
UN report details ‘dramatic’ impact on people’s lives due to internet shutdowns
The dramatic real-life effects of Internet shutdowns on people’s lives and human rights have been vastly underestimated, the UN Human Rights Office warns in a new report issued from Geneva on Thursday.
The report urges states not to impose Internet shutdowns.
“Too often, major communication channels or entire communication networks are slowed down or blocked,” the report says, adding that this has deprived “thousands or even millions of people of their only means of reaching loved ones, continuing their work or participating in political debates or decisions.”
The report aims to shed much-needed light on the phenomenon of Internet shutdowns, looking at when and why they are imposed and examining how they undermine a range of human rights, first and foremost the right to freedom of expression.
Shutdowns can mean a complete block on Internet connectivity but governments also increasingly resort to banning access to major communication platforms and throttling bandwidth and limiting mobile services to 2G transfer speeds, making it hard, for example, to share and watch videos or live picture broadcasts.
The report notes that the #KeepItOn coalition, which monitors shutdowns episodes across the world, documented 931 shutdowns between 2016 and 2021 in 74 countries, with some countries blocking communications repeatedly and over long periods of time.
“Shutdowns are powerful markers of sharply deteriorating human rights situations,” the report highlights. Over the past decade, they have tended to be imposed during heightened political tensions, with at least 225 shutdowns recorded during public demonstrations relating to social, political or economic grievances.
Shutdowns were also reported when governments carried out security operations, severely restricting human rights monitoring and reporting. In the context of armed conflicts and during mass demonstrations, the fact that people could not communicate and promptly report abuses seems to have contributed to further insecurity and violence, including serious human rights violations.
Collecting information about shutdowns is difficult as many governments refuse to acknowledge having ordered any interference in communications and sometimes put pressure on companies to prevent them from sharing information on communication being blocked or slowed down.
“The official justification for the shutdowns was unknown in 228 shutdowns reported by civil society across 55 countries,” the report states.
When authorities do recognize having ordered disruptions, justifications often point to public safety, containing the spread of incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, or combatting disinformation.
Yet, the report describes how shutdowns often achieve the exact opposite, furthering fear and confusion, and stoking risks of division and conflict.
Internet shutdowns also carry major economic costs for all sectors, disrupting for example financial transactions, commerce and industry.
Read: Each union to get high speed broadband internet by 2023: Mustafa Jabbar
Economic shocks provoked by shutdowns are felt over long periods of time, greatly exacerbating pre-existing social and economic inequalities.
“Shutdowns effectively deepen digital divides between and within countries,” the report warns. At a time when substantial development aid is justifiably directed towards enhancing connectivity in less developed countries, some of the beneficiaries of that assistance are themselves deepening the digital divide through shutdowns.
At least 27 of the 46 least developed countries have implemented shutdowns between 2016 and 2021, most of which have received support to increase connectivity.
The report urges States to refrain from imposing shutdowns, to maximize Internet access and remove the multiple obstacles standing in the way of communication.
The report also urges companies to speedily share information on disruptions and ensure that they take all possible lawful measures to prevent shutdowns they have been asked to implement.
“Internet shutdowns have emerged as the digital world has become ever more important, indeed essential, for the realization of many human rights. Switching off the Internet causes incalculable damage, both in material and human rights terms,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
Read: Remotest region to connect with broadband internet by 2025: Palak
“When a state shuts down the internet, both people and economies suffer. The costs to jobs, education, health and political participation virtually always exceed any hoped for benefit.”
“What this report clearly highlights is that swift action is needed to end Internet shutdowns, including through more prominent reporting of their impacts, more transparency by involved companies, and ensuring that we all defend connectivity from self-imposed disruptions,” the High Commissioner added.
Encouraged by Malaysia’s leadership on Myanmar crisis: UN expert
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, on Thursday expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s increasing leadership on the crisis in Myanmar.
He urged States in the region to adopt a similar approach to the human rights catastrophe unfolding under military rule.
“Too much is at stake for Myanmar and its people to accept complacency and inaction by the international community,” Andrews said in a statement at the end of an eight-day visit to Malaysia.
He said Junta forces have killed more than 2,000 civilians, arrested more than 14,000, displaced more than 700,000, driving the number of internally displaced persons well over one million, and plunged the country into an economic and humanitarian crisis that threatens the lives and wellbeing of millions.
““The military’s attacks on the people of Myanmar constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. No one has been spared the impact of the military’s violence,” said the UN expert.
Andrews said that even before the coup, the Myanmar military had committed atrocities against the people of Myanmar.
Read: Myanmar questioned for not fulfilling Rohingya repatriation pledge
“The Rohingya faced genocidal attacks by Myanmar security forces. I have learned that there are over 104,000 registered Rohingya in Malaysia who have fled from Myanmar seeking safe haven with untold numbers who are unregistered,” he said.
Those who fled Myanmar also told Andrews about the challenges they faced in Malaysia, citing fears of being sent to migration detention, insufficient education opportunities for their children, and instances of extortion by police officers.
“Let me be clear, refugees from Myanmar are here because they were forced to come here. Their inability to return to their homes in Myanmar is directly linked to the military junta’s human rights violations and war against the people of Myanmar. It is impossible to address issues related to those seeking refuge in Malaysia and other nations in the region without directly and effectively addressing the crisis inside of Myanmar,” Andrews said.
Malaysia not only recognizes this fact, it has been willing, through the words and actions of Foreign Minister Saifuddin, to challenge ASEAN to reexamine their current policy on Myanmar, the UN expert said, adding that Foreign Minister Saifuddin had called on ASEAN to move from a policy of “noninterference” to, in his words, one of “non-indifference”.
“Malaysia has given voice to the obvious fact that after more than one year, nothing has moved and since nothing has moved, more people are being killed and more people are being forced to flee the country,” Andrews said.
He has not only called for ASEAN to engage with the Myanmar National Unity Government, he has begun engaging with the National Unity Government’s Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung, Andrews said.
“I look forward to working to support Malaysia’s foreign policy leadership on Myanmar, to affirm the human rights of a people under siege and to reduce the incredible scale of human suffering in Myanmar.”
Bangladesh, EU to work for improved health, safety at Ctg port
Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) have agreed to accelerate the removal of idle containers from the Chittagong Port premises in order to increase cargo-handling capacities and improve health and safety situation in the port, which is the largest gateway for Bangladesh's trade with the EU.
In addition, approval would be issued for interchange of empty containers between Dhaka rail and river terminals.
Bangladesh has agreed a few months ago as suggested by the EU to launch a survey to assess the costs and benefits of up to 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh's logistics sector.
The issues were discussed at the 7th plenary meeting under the EU-Bangladesh business climate dialogue held in a city hotel on Thursday.
The dialogue aims to jointly facilitate trade and investment from the EU, Bangladesh's number one trading partner and the second largest source of FDI to Bangladesh.
Read: EU’s new Global Gateway strategy offers new opportunities for Bangladesh-EU relations: Envoys
Bangladesh's exports to the EU amounted to around €16 billion in the 2021 calendar year, while the EU exports to Bangladesh were to the tune of €3 billion, according to a joint statement.
The plenary was co-chaired by the senior secretary commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh and EU Ambassador Charles Whiteley.
It was attended by EU Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Dhaka - Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
Representatives of the numerous Government authorities including the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Ministry of Shipping, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Bangladesh Bank participated in the dialogue, as well as some representatives from the EU private sector.
Both sides took stock of discussions in three priority fields, namely: tax and customs, shipping and logistics, and green business practices.
Read: EU contributes to strengthen social security in Bangladesh with EUR 24mn
They agreed a joint committee will be constituted to examine the challenges and opportunities to simplify the customs clearance process for both express and non-express air cargoes.
The "green business practices" is a new topic in the dialogue, under which the EU side informed the government of Bangladesh about the upcoming supply chain due diligence requirements in Europe and encouraged adaptive actions with a view to ensure smooth trade with the EU as the number one market for Bangladeshi exports.
The EU side informed the meeting about two upcoming initiatives - the "EU-Bangladesh Meaning Business", which is conceived in the context of the 50th anniversary of the European Union (EU's) diplomatic relations with Bangladesh established in 1973.
It aims to showcase commercial sectors which are underexplored and where closer collaboration between Bangladesh and Europe could be mutually beneficial.
“Eurocham” in Bangladesh, a European Union (EU) Chamber of Commerce, will also be established.
It aims to build bridges between the Bangladeshi and EU private sectors and serve as a centre of excellence connecting Bangladeshi public and private sectors with investors from Europe, to the benefit of smooth and sustained business relations between Bangladesh and the EU.
It would also help to navigate Bangladesh's transition to a post-EBA trade regime in the EU, according to the joint statement.
The Heads of Mission expressed their desire to continue working constructively in improving trade and investment relations with Bangladesh. The next plenary is scheduled for the first semester of 2023.
Padma Bridge: How the nation’s dream turns into reality
Bangladesh is set to witness a historic moment on Saturday with the inauguration of Padma Bridge demonstrating to the world what this country can do on its own, proving the skeptics wrong amid the World Bank’s scrapping of committed loans.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who took up the challenge to go ahead with self-financing the bridge of national pride, will formally open the road-and-rail bridge, a milestone on the connectivity front, nationally and regionally.
Since the start on December 12, 2015 the work on building the country’s longest bridge at 6.15 kilometres did not stop even for a single day despite the Covid-19 pandemic situation and Holey Artisan tragedy.
Read: Padma Bridge a major achievement by and for Bangladeshis: Australian envoy
Praises keep pouring in acknowledging the prime minister’s courage, determination and political leadership amid enormous difficulties to make the bridge into a reality.
Even diplomats stationed in Dhaka spoke highly about her decision and the economic impact of the mega project.
On June 29, 2012, the World Bank posted a long statement on its website mentioning that it decided to cancel its $1.2 billion IDA credit in support of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project, effective immediately.
The global lender claimed that it had “credible evidence” corroborated by a variety of sources which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, SNC Lavalin executives, and private individuals in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project.
The World Bank provided information from two investigations to the PM Hasina, as well as the finance minister and the chairman of the Anti -Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) in September 2011 and April 2012.
On December 17 of the year, ACC filed a graft conspiracy case with Banani Police Station in Dhaka against Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, the then Bridges Division secretary; Kazi Mohammad Ferdous, the then superintendent engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority, and Reaz Ahmed Zaber, the then executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department.
The accused also included former local agent of SNC-Lavalin Mohammad Mostofa and its ex-officials Mohammad Ismail, Ramesh Shah and Kevin Wales.
Kristine Blokhus new UNFPA country representative in Bangladesh
Kristine Blokhus has assumed her role as the new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representative in Bangladesh, replacing Dr Asa Torkelsson.
Kristine, who is a national of Norway, brings over 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian response.
In the past three years, she served as the UNFPA's representative to the State of Palestine, leading the agency's humanitarian response and development programming in sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and youth and adolescent empowerment across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Before this, Kristine served as the deputy representative of the UNFPA in Nepal for nearly five years.
She previously worked with the UNFPA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in different settings spanning South and South-East Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, the Balkans, and UNDP's Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS.
READ: UNFPA, KOICA join hands to address menstrual hygiene in Cox’s Bazar
Kristine started her UN career as a junior professional officer in Indonesia following the 2005 tsunami, where she focused on humanitarian response and gender-based violence.
Before joining the UN, she worked at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and in research roles in academia and international development consulting firms in the UK and Norway.
Kristine holds a masters in development studies from the London School of Economics and a double bachelors in political science and French from the University of Warwick.
Padma Bridge a major achievement by and for Bangladeshis: Australian envoy
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer has said the Padma Bridge is a major achievement by and for Bangladeshis which should make all of them proud.
In a message on Wednesday ahead of the formal inauguration of the Padma Bridge, the high commissioner said the bridge should give a significant boost to the national economy by reducing travel time and making it easier for people to move around the country, to conduct business and to see their families.
The bridge should also make it easier to connect Bangladeshis more efficiently with and drive economic growth in the dynamic Bay of Bengal region, he said.
On behalf of all Australians, the envoy congratulated the government and people of Bangladesh on the completion of this country’s largest infrastructure project - the Padma Bridge which will connect 21 Southern districts with Dhaka.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the Padma Bridge on June 25.