Foreign-Affairs
'Volunteerism, Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic' webinar Thursday
UN Volunteers (UNV) in Bangladesh and UN Women Bangladesh will arrange a webinar titled "Volunteerism and Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic" to mark World Youth Skills Day Thursday.
The government, NGOs, INGOs, VIOs, CSOs, UN, youth organisations, corporate sector, civil society and other key stakeholders will join the session that will begin at 2:30pm.
Read: Myanmar: Expert calls for “COVID ceasefire”; urges new UN resolution
It will highlight the current situation of access to training and skill development for young people – namely for women – and also address the effective aspects of volunteerism for enhancing youth skills and opportunities.
Issues such as promoting learning opportunities, advocating to ensure a better skill-developing environment, engagement in volunteering activities, and sensitising relevant authorities and stakeholders, will be discussed.
Read:Pope to UN forum: Hunger is 'crime' violating basic rights
Md Sayedul Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Subhra Bhattacharjee, strategic planner and head of United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Bangladesh, Md Azharul Islam Khan, director general (additional secretary) of the Department of Youth Development, Aktar Uddin, country coordinator of UNV Bangladesh, Giulia Pelosi, programme specialist of Ending Violence against Women of UN Women, LigayaLaoengDumaoang, TVET specialist of ILO Bangladesh, Alisha Pradhan, founding CEO of HerNet TV, will be present at the session as speakers.
The event will be broadcast live from the Facebook pages of UNV Bangladesh and UN Women Bangladesh.
Covid-19 has impacted young people especially women in profound ways, amplifying the inequalities that they face every day, said the UN office in Dhaka.
Read: No pathway to reach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C goal without the G20: UN chief
Though distance or online training has become the most common way of imparting skills, it comes with considerable difficulties and many young people do not have access to it.
In this regard, volunteerism can play a vital role too to promote participation and skill development of youth and women, said the UN office.
Bangladesh seeks US partnership in vaccine production
PM’s Adviser for Private Industry and Investment Salman F Rahman has sought the assistance from the US government to encourage their vaccine-producing companies to partner with capable pharmaceutical companies in Bangladesh.
Recalling the two countries’ close cooperation in combating Covid-19 since the early days of the pandemic, Adviser Rahman stressed scaling up of the global production of the Covid-19 vaccines and other pandemic management equipment to tackle the virus.
He also stated that Bangladesh is ready to make necessary investments for the capacity enhancement of pharmaceutical companies for such partnerships.
Adviser Rahman and Senior Official for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment of the US Department of State Ambassador Marcia Bernicat discussed ways to have stronger collaboration on Covid-19 front.
Bangladesh and the US have expressed willingness to work more closely to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, including partnership, in vaccine production.
Read: Countries like Bangladesh need support for vaccine production: FM
Smaller nations need to avoid partisan grouping in the Asia-Pacific: Webinar
The smaller nations like Bangladesh should avoid partisan and military engagements with the big powers in the region to uphold strategic autonomy, a webinar was told on Wednesday.
The smaller independent nations in the region such as Bangladesh need to avoid any kind of partisan and military entanglements to ensure strategic autonomy and avoid escalation into a second cold war, said President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Maj. Gen. (Retd) ANM Muniruzzaman.
He, however, said the nature of competition between the Quad and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is currently more economical than militaristic.
Muniruzzaman said the strategic tension between the USA and China might have an adverse effect on the stability of the Asia-Pacific region.
All stakeholders must join hands for combating human trafficking: Webinar
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday said trafficking in persons is a serious human rights violation and the fight against trafficking and smuggling of migrants requires multi-stakeholder engagement.
He said the government of Bangladesh has zero tolerance policy on this and is actively taking steps to fight this horrific crime.
Read: Trafficking Report: Bangladesh still on Tier 2
The Foreign Secretary was addressing a webinar marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021.
The webinar was organized by the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Technical Working Group (CTIPTWG) under the Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration (BDUNNM) to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021.
The “Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh)” project, which is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNODC and IOM, supported to organize the event.
UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Mia Seppo said the COVID-19 is presenting new challenges to the protection of migrants, and it is widely known that the pandemic impacts men, women, and children, including adolescents, differently.
"To combat the scourge of trafficking in persons, all stakeholders must join hands and work together," she said.
Read: Work together to end trafficking in persons: UN chieff
This year’s theme of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, "Victims’ Voices Lead the Way" puts victims of human trafficking at the centre of the campaign and highlights the importance of listening to and learning from survivors of human trafficking.
To mark the day, representatives from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), members of the Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration (BDUNNM), partners from civil society and the private sector met in the virtual webinar.
The webinar shared the key messages from survivors of human trafficking and highlighted the risks faced by an estimated 700,000 Bangladeshis who choose to migrate abroad every year.
Vulnerable migrants are often the target of traffickers and find themselves in situations that can result in debt bondage, forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriages and other forms of modern slavery.
It is documented that Bangladesh is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and child victims of human trafficking.
Bangladesh has taken active steps to counter human trafficking by including formulating policies and strengthening task forces.
These include the GO-NGO National Coordination Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Committee to Monitor the National Plan of Action for Combatting Human Trafficking 2018-2022, the Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation, and Integration (RRRI) Task Force, the Vigilance Task Force, and the Counter Trafficking Committees at district, sub-district, and union levels.
Participants at the webinar called on Bangldesh government, global partners, the private sector, and civil society actors to focus their efforts on advancing a robust, rights-based approach aimed at preventing exploitation of individuals by trafficking networks and shrinking the space in which they operate.
Giorgi Gigauri, Coordinator of BDUNNM and IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh said trafficking is a crime which puts migrant workers at risk in terms of physical and mental abuse, harassment, forced labour, forced and illegal marriages, illegal trade, and losing lives.
"The Government at all levels, development partners, law enforcement entities, civil society, the private sector, and all other relevant actors must make a concerted effort to take action to stamp it out."
Siobhan Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, in her address noted the impact of COVID 19 increases risks of trafficking in persons.
We need urgently to address the increasing risks of child trafficking, to combat online exploitation, exploitation of migrant workers and the particular risks of sexual exploitation. The Global Compact on Migration commits to eradicating trafficking in persons."
Mullally said this commitment must translate into meaningful change on the ground. Effective action is essential to ensure that multinational corporations meet their obligations of due diligence in supply chains.
Loss of employment, reductions in income, limited means of securing livelihoods and nationwide school closures have created conditions that have amplified the risks of trafficking in persons, according to IOM.
In addition to the root causes of human trafficking reportedly intensifying, it is feared that Bangladesh has experienced an increase in forms of abuse and exploitation, it said.
Recent trends and media headlines suggest that traffickers are using online platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp etc. to lure potential victims of human trafficking.
Read: Man accused in trafficking of 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya
The ongoing pandemic coupled with restrictions to mobility and movements mainly imposed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have had diverse impacts on people’s vulnerability to human trafficking, including migrants from and to Bangladesh, which makes the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021 particularly important.
Turkey issues postage stamp on Bangabandhu
The Bangladesh Embassy in Ankara has unveiled a special postage stamp to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Turkey.
The Turkish Postal Department released the special postage stamp with the image of Bangabandhu on Tuesday noon.
Read: PM unveils commemorative stamp to mark Joy’s birth anniversary
This stamp was, in fact, unveiled at a special meeting between Bangladesh Ambassador Mosud Mannan NDC and Director General of the Cultural Wing of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Deniz Chakar, the Bangladesh Embassy said in a release.
The relations between the two countries would be further strengthened with the release of the stamp with photographs in the memory of Bangabandhu, according to Director General of the Cultural Wing of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Deniz Chakar.
Paying deep tribute to Bangabandhu, the Ambassador said that the Father of the Nation "is a tangible symbol of democracy, peace and secularism in Bangladesh and in the international arena".
Read: Bangabandhu's birth centenary: Philippines unveils commemorative cover, stamp
Bangabandhu was a pioneer of humanity, people's power and socio-economic liberation, said the ambassador.
The Ambassador especially thanked the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Postal Service for releasing the postage stamp during the birth centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu.
Govt to vaccinate Rohingyas gradually starting with above-55s: Foreign Secretary
The government has decided to vaccinate the Rohingyas as part of an inclusive vaccination programme.
Although no start date was offered, a preliminary decision was announced that in the first phase, those who are above 55 years old will be considered.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, while talking to reporters on Tuesday, said the host communities around the Rohingya camps have frequent communication with the Rohingyas and the government wants to keep both protected.
READ: Covid-19: Govt to vaccinate 25 lakh people each month
He said the age bar will be brought down gradually in line with the supply of the vaccines in Bangladesh from different sources.
The Foreign Secretary said there will be no discrimination in terms of vaccination considering the “practicality" - the fact that no one is protected unless everyone is protected from a contagion.
Earlier, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, sought stronger global support for refugee vaccinations in Asia, including Rohingyas who are living in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
The vaccination of refugees was scheduled to start by the end of March 2021. However, the date had to be postponed as the arrival of the COVAX vaccines was delayed.
Responding to a question on air-bubble with India, the Foreign Secretary said they are in discussion and a proposal regarding resumption of this special arrangement is in place.
READ: All adults to be gradually vaccinated: Health Minister
He hoped that the air-bubble arrangement would be resumed at a mutually convenient time in August on a limited scale as the situation in India is improving.
Paris Mission receives Public Administration Award
Bangladesh Embassy in Paris has received the Public Administration Award for its collective contributions in internationalizing the ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at UNESCO.
The members of the Embassy team are Bangladesh Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate of Bangladesh to UNESCO Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, Minister (Political) S M Mahbubul Alam, First Secretary and HoC Dayamayee Chakraborty and First Secretary Nirjhar Adhikary.
Ambassador Kazi Imtiaz Hossain received the award on behalf of the Embassy team.
The award was given in general category considering administrative and diplomatic efforts of the Embassy marking the Public Administration Day.
Read: Bangladeshi artist wins international award
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined (virtually) the function held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city on Tuesday .
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque who joined the function in person handed over the awards to a total of 35 individuals and institutions for the year in 2020 and 2021 on behalf of the Prime Minister.
State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain chaired the function.
The establishment of the “UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy” was unanimously approved by acclamation at the 210th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board.
Read: 6 receive Unsung Women Nation Builders Award 2021
Named after the Father of the nation of Bangladesh, the UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy will award, every two years, US$50,000 to an individual or organization with recognised excellence in nurturing entrepreneurship among young people in the cultural and creative industries.
The first iteration of the Prize will be awarded in the fall of 2021 during UNESCO’s 41st General Conference 9-24 November 2021 to mark the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.
Myanmar: Expert calls for “COVID ceasefire”; urges new UN resolution
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar has called on the United Nations Security Council and Member States to push for an emergency “COVID ceasefire” in light of an explosion of infections and deaths in Myanmar even as the State Administrative Council (SAC) escalates its attacks against health care workers.
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews stressed the urgent need for Member States to use all the tools of the UN, including passage of resolutions demanding that the SAC immediately cease all attacks, especially against health care professionals who are desperately needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to devastate Myanmar.
“Too many in Myanmar have needlessly perished and too many more will die without action by the United Nations,” Andrews warned on Tuesday.
“The UN must act immediately to halt the military junta’s attacks, harassment, and detentions in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis.
“Member States of the United Nations cannot afford to be complacent while the junta ruthlessly attacks medical personnel as COVID-19 spreads unchecked. They must act to end this violence so that doctors and nurses can provide life-saving care and international organisations can help deliver vaccinations and related medical care,” Andrews said.
The junta has murdered at least 931 people and is holding at least 5,630 in arbitrary detention where they are in danger of being infected with the virus.
Also read: In Myanmar, the military and police declare war on medics
Another 255 people have been sentenced for trumped up crimes, with 26 of them - two of whom are minors - sentenced to death.
According to the UNHCR, there are 570,320 internally displaced persons currently living in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayin, Mon, and Bago states.
Junta forces have engaged in at least 260 attacks against medical personnel and facilities, claiming the lives of at least 18 people.
Over 600 health care professionals are currently eluding outstanding arrest warrants and at least 67 are being held by junta forces.
In February, the UN Security Council passed a strong resolution demanding ceasefires in all States experiencing conflict. Resolution 2565 demanded “all parties to armed conflicts engage immediately in a durable, extensive, and sustained humanitarian pause to facilitate the equitable, safe and unhindered delivery and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations in areas of armed conflict”.
The Council further called for “full, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access, without delay, for humanitarian personnel and medical personnel, their equipment, transport and supplies, in order to facilitate, inter alia, COVID-19 vaccinations, as appropriate”.
Also read: Human rights defenders in Myanmar under siege, say UN experts
It also demanded the “protection, safety, and security of such humanitarian and medical personnel…”
“This resolution represented a principled framework to address the outbreak of COVID-19 in States experiencing unrestrained violence. Given this escalating crisis, these demands must now be focused specifically on Myanmar. Doing so will save untold numbers of lives.”
Andrews concluded: “Of course the best outcome would be for the junta to stand down so that a legitimate civilian government can lead a coordinated response to the COVID-19 crisis. But in the immediate term, the junta’s relentless attacks and detentions must end. For this to be possible, the people of Myanmar need the UN and its Member States to step up with strong, principled action.”
Dhaka to work with New Delhi to develop infrastructure along border, says envoy
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran has hoped that Dhaka and New Delhi will continue to work together to develop infrastructure along the border.
The envoy held a meeting with Indian Land Ports Authority Chairman Aditya Mishra in New Delhi on Monday.
Imran shared with Mishra his experience from recent visits to integrated check posts.
READ: Mission in New Delhi observes Genocide Day
He emphasized on maintaining regular communication between the two countries to facilitate the movement of passengers and import-export of goods.
Mishra briefed the high commissioner about the activities of his organization and the operation of the integrated check posts set up in the port area on the Indian side of the Bangladesh land border.
At these integrated check posts, all the concerned departments including immigration, customs and border guards work under one roof.
READ: New Delhi mission observes Bangabandhu's Joliot-Curie award anniversary
This facilitates passenger movement and transportation of goods, said Imran.
The Land Port Authority of India is a highly powered coordinating body under the ministry of home affairs.
Another Oxygen Express to arrive in Bangladesh
Another Oxygen Express of Indian Railways has embarked on its journey to Bangladesh carrying a second tranche of 200 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to help address respiratory distress.
On Tuesday morning, a train carrying 200MT LMO in 10 containers (20MT each) imported by Linde Bangladesh departed for Bangladesh from Tatanagar in India.
Read: Linde Bangladesh to continue medical oxygen import from India
This consignment will significantly augment reserves of Liquid Medical Oxygen in Bangladesh, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
With this, India reaffirmed its commitment to continue to support Bangladesh in its fight against the pandemic, it said.
Read: India's Oxygen Express arrives in Bangladesh
Linde Bangladesh said Sunday, it will continue the import of medical oxygen by train to supplement its local supply with active assistance from Linde India, the governments of India and Bangladesh.
This is one of several initiatives that Linde Bangladesh has embarked on to help support the fight against the current Covid-19 crisis, including the Medical Oxygen Booths inaugurated at Khulna Medical College Hospital earlier this week, it said.