Foreign-Affairs
FCC South Asia bids farewell to Aminul Islam
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia (FCC) on Tuesday bid farewell to Aminul Islam Mirja, BSS New Delhi Bureau Chief.
Aminul, also a Governing Council (GC) member of the Club, has been an esteemed member of the elected Governing Council (GC) of the FCC, a club comprising foreign journalists based in South Asia, for the last three consecutive terms, said a press release issued on Thursday.
To bid farewell on completion of his tenure in New Delhi, the FCC organised a reception and hosted a dinner in honour of Aminul at the club premises on Tuesday evening.
Foreign Minister commends late President Zillur Rahman's political legacy
FCC President and veteran journalist S Venkat Narayan, Vice-President Dr Waiel Awwad, General Secretary Prakash Nanda, Treasurer PM Narayanan, Minister (Press), Bangladesh High Commission, Shaban Mahmood, Bureau Chief of Kyodo News Japan Shoichiro Takaji, Simran Sodhi, Executive Editor, NRI Focus, Sanjay Kumar of Arab News, Rajesh Kumar Mishra, New Delhi Bureau Chief, Kantipur Media Group and Agha Jeelani, BRICS Journal, S Africa, joined the reception.
Speaking on the occasion, the FCC President wished Aminul success in his future endeavours and also noted his contributions to the FCC.
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A plaque honouring Aminul was presented by the FCC President to him, along with other members of the GC.
Foreign Minister commends late President Zillur Rahman's political legacy
Foreign Minister and Awami League's Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday described the late President Zillur Rahman as an exemplary figure in Bangladesh’s politics.
Speaking at a commemorative event organised by the Zillur Rahman Parishad on the 11th death anniversary of the late President at the National Press Club, Dr. Mahmud said, "There is so much to learn from Zillur Rahman for today's politicians. In times of crisis and struggle, one must remain steadfast and unwavering in adverse circumstances, maintaining faith in leadership."
Regarding current politics, he said, "The supporters of 'One Eleven' are facing setbacks. They are waiting for an opportunity to strike back."
"The incident of 'One Eleven' was a tough time for democracry, and without Sheikh Hasina, getting back the democratic system would not have been possible. And at that time, the late President Zillur Rahman was like a shadow beside Sheikh Hasina.," he said.
Ambassador Yao: Bangladeshi youth are the backbone of promoting “Smart Bangladesh” and “Sonar Bangla”
Ambassador of China to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Wednesday said Bangladesh, in recent years, has made progress in economic and social development, and the international community is optimistic about Bangladesh’s development prospects.
This achievement, he said, is inseparable from the active role played by 45 million Bangladeshi youth, who are full of vitality and innovative spirit, and are the backbone of promoting the construction of “Smart Bangladesh” and “Sonar Bangla”.
"China look forward to further strengthening youth exchanges between China and Bangladesh, stimulating their potential and injecting new hope and positive energy into the future development of the two countries and the world at large," said Ambassador Yao.
He was speaking at event titled “Ramadan Gathering with China" at the Embassy.
Over 150 youth representatives from the Bangladeshi government, political parties, military, universities, enterprises, media houses and foreign missions took part in the event.
He pointed out that in the face of the complex international situation, China has steadily advanced the Chinese modernization, maintained the resilience and vitality of economic growth, and made significant contribution to the global economy.
"China promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, advocates an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization," he said.
It is hoped that through this event, young friends from all walks of life in Bangladesh will have a better understanding of Chinese insight, Chinese input, Chinese strength and the latest development of China-Bangladesh relations, and serve as envoys to deepen China-Bangladesh traditional friendship, said the Ambassador.
He conveyed his best wishes to the audience for the sacred Ramadan.
Four young diplomats from the Embassy delivered presentations with abundant visual materials, shared their own observations and analyses,and had friendly and frank exchanges with the young friends of Bangladesh.
They first made an in-depth analysis of the important opportunities brought by the “Belt and Road Initiative” to Bangladesh’s development and world connectivity, spoke of the bright prospects of China’s economic development, and elaborated on the useful reference provided by Chinese modernization for Bangladesh to explore the development path, believing that both countries are in a critical period of development and revitalization, and China-Bangladesh cooperation has great potential in the future.
Based on specific facts and data, they introduced the development achievements of Xinjiang’s human rights cause from the aspects of political equality, economic development, cultural inheritance, religious freedom, and ethnic unity, refuted the so-called “forced labor” and “genocide” and other falsehoods related to Xinjiang, and invited young Bangladeshi friends to visit Xinjiang in person to experience the beauty, harmony and development of Xinjiang.
Taking two stories of people-to-people exchanges between China and Bangladesh as the starting point and the results of “National Image of China in Bangladesh” as the data support, they introduced the current situation of China-Bangladesh friendly exchanges and called on the Chinese and Bangladeshi people to deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges and work together to push bilateral Strategic Partnership of Cooperation to a new level on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
They focus on showing that the young generation of China in the new era is born in the best period of the development of the Chinese nation.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visits Rohingya camps as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), visited Rohingya camps in Bhasan Char and Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday.
During her visit to Bhasan Char and Cox’s Bazar, the Crown Princess witnessed firsthand the collaborative efforts of multiple UN agencies, including UNHCR, WFP, IOM, UNICEF, UNWOMEN, and UNFPA.
She also gained insights into the challenges faced by the Rohingya community and the various aid services extended to them.
The UNDP Goodwill Ambassador explored UNDP disaster risk management initiatives focusing on nature-based solutions to avert landslides, with funding support from Norway.
Her visit underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing the complex challenges faced by vulnerable communities.
Later, she visited the Government’s Khurushkul Ashrayan Housing Project Site in Cox’s Bazar, which seeks to provide sustainable housing for climate-displaced individuals.
Earlier in the day, she also visited Hatiya, a climate-vulnerable island in the Bay of Bengal, to learn about the unique challenges faced by its inhabitants.
Crown Princess also observed the early waring system and how it helps to reduce loss and damage in remote areas like Hatiya.
Accompanying Crown Princess Victoria were Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of External Relations and Advocacy at UNDP, and Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell, along with other senior government officials and UN representatives.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden arrived in Dhaka on Monday to visit Bangladesh as a goodwill ambassador for UNDP and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Bangladesh considering Economic Partnership Agreement with S Korea to boost trade, investment: FM
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said Bangladesh is actively considering the bilateral instrument like the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with South Korea to boost bilateral trade and investment cooperation.
He highlighted on importance of new arrangements for the development of cooperation after Bangladesh’s graduation from LDC status in 2026.
The issues were discussed when Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to Bangladesh Park Young-sik met the Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister thanked the Korean government for the congratulatory messages received from the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of ROK addressed to the PM and FM respectively upon assuming the respective offices following the general elections of January 7, 2024.
The Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction on the 50 years of friendly bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the ROK.
He thanked the ROK Government for recently providing seven luxurious vehicles to Bangladesh to commemorate the 50 years of diplomatic relationship.
Hasan appreciated the ROK for allowing preferential market access for a good number of Bangladeshi products into the ROK.
The Foreign Minister thanked ROK government for continuously being one of the major foreign investors in Bangladesh.
He highlighted on the Bangladesh’s rapidly growing economy and welcomed more ROK investments in the fields of light engineering, electronics, home appliances, infrastructure development, ICT sector etc.
Hasan thanked KOICA for initiating the feasibility study for Metro Rail Project in Chattogram which is in good progress.
He requested the ROK Ambassador for arranging necessary funds by the Korean Government to implement the project.
Hasan also thanked Korea for increasing the quota for Bangladeshi skilled workers under its Employment Permit System (EPS) scheme.
However, Bangladesh could not fulfill the quota of 10200 persons last year due to language learning problem.
The Ambassador informed that the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh is addressing this issue.
They have already designated 2 Technical Training Centres (TTC) in Bangladesh where the Koreans can provide necessary training of language and technology.
Both sides also discussed on strengthening cooperation on Avoidance of Double Taxation, Revision of Air Services Agreement, exchange of high-level visits as well as to have further collaboration for the modernization and upgradation of Bangladesh’s existing industries, particularly RMG through direct or joint venture investments in Man-Made Fiber (MMF) and through the exchange of knowledge, expertise and technology.
Swedish princess at Ukhiya Rohingya camp
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, arrived at Cox's Bazar Ukhiya Rohingya camp on Wednesday noon.
She arrived Ukhiya Rohingya camp by an army helicopter from Noakhali's Bhasan Char at around 1:30 pm.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden witnesses climate change resilience efforts in Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shahin Imran, Police Superintendent Mahfuzur Rahman and officials of the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka welcomed the princess.
She will visit various projects in the Rohingya camp. After visiting the camp, she will visit the world's largest shelter project for climate refugees at Khuruskool in Cox's Bazar in the afternoon.
Swedish Crown Princess in Khulna’s Koyra to witness impact of climate change
According to the Swedish Embassy, this is Princess Victoria's first visit to Bangladesh after being appointed as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador in 2023.
However, she had earlier visited Bangladesh in 2005.
Indian envoy reaffirms commitment to further enrich special, multifaceted ties with Bangladesh
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma has underlined the deep bonds of friendship and cooperation between Bangladesh and India, and reaffirmed commitment to further enrich the special and multifaceted ties — rooted in the shared sacrifices of 1971.
Speaking at an Iftar-event, he highlighted the significance of Iftar in promoting the spirit of brotherhood and humanity.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka hosted the Iftar on March 19.
Despite several odds Bangladesh will generate 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2041: Nasrul Hamid
The event was attended by over 400 distinguished guests from all walks of life including the government, legislature, judiciary, political parties, armed forces, civil society, academia, business, media and culture.
The High Commissioner noted that the Iftar gathering also symbolised the deep people-to-people ties that form the very foundation of India-Bangladesh relations.
Annual profits from forced labour amount to US$ 236 billion: ILO report
Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Religious Affairs Minister Md. Faridul Haque Khan was the guest of honour.
BNP wants help of foreigners, not country's people: Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister and Awami League joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said it is sad that BNP does not want any support and cooperation from the people, rather it seeks foreigners' support.
He made the comment while responding to a question from a journalist regarding BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan's remarks.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon, the Minister said BNP itself fell down while pushing the Awami League government.
"And now it has started walking, distributing leaflets. Moyeen Khan is saying all these things to sustain the party, to make its existence known," he said.
Hasan said Sheikh Hasina's government is standing on a very strong foundation and Awami League's foundation is deeply rooted in the people.
He said, "BNP is very weak. Workers have no confidence in their leaders. Leaders do not trust the core leaders.
Hasan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given instructions that no unnecessary expenses should be spent during Ramadan, no iftar parties should be held unnecessarily, but the money should be given to the common people.
"I am distributing Iftar items among the common people in my area and all parliamentarians and leaders are doing the same in their respective areas," he said.
He said, on the other hand, BNP has organized an iftar party on the first day of Ramadan and protested against the government. "I saw through social media that BNP is also extorting money in the name of Iftar party."
In response to another question, the Foreign Minister said that the government is determined to bring back the sailors of the Bangladeshi ship held hostage by pirates in Somalia.
Earlier, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates Abdulla Ali Abdulla Khaseif AlHmoudi met Minister Hasan and they discussed issues of mutual interest.
Annual profits from forced labour amount to US$ 236 billion: ILO report
Forced labour in the private economy generates US$236 billion in illegal profits per year, a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found.
The total amount of illegal profits from forced labour has risen by US$64 billion (37 per cent) since 2014, a dramatic increase that has been fuelled by both a growth in the number of people forced into labour, as well as higher profits generated from the exploitation of victims.
The ILO report, Profits and Poverty: the economics of forced labour, estimates that traffickers and criminals are generating close to US$10,000 per victim, up from US$8,269 (adjusted for inflation) a decade ago.
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Total annual illegal profits from forced labour are highest in Europe and Central Asia (US$84 billion), followed by Asia and the Pacific (US$62 billion), the Americas (US$52 billion), Africa (US$20 billion), and the Arab States (US$18 billion).
When illegal profits are expressed per victim, annual illegal profits are highest in Europe and Central Asia, followed by the Arab States, the Americas, Africa and Asia and the Pacific.
Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for more than two-thirds (73 per cent) of the total illegal profits, despite accounting for only 27 per cent of the total number of victims in privately imposed labour.
These numbers are explained by the huge difference in per victim profits between forced commercial sexual exploitation and other forms of non-state forced labour exploitation – US$27,252 profits per victim for the former against US$3,687 profits per victim for the latter.
After forced commercial sexual exploitation, the sector with the highest annual illegal profits from forced labour is industry, at US$35 billion, followed by services (US$20.8 billion), agriculture (US$5.0 billion), and domestic work (US$2.6 billion).
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These illegal profits are the wages that rightfully belong in the pockets of workers but instead remain in the hands of their exploiters, as a result of their coercive practices.
There were 27.6 million people engaged in forced labour on any given day in 2021.
This figure translates to 3.5 people for every thousand people in the world. Between 2016 and 2021 the number of people in forced labour increased by 2.7 million.
“People in forced labour are subject to multiple forms of coercion, the deliberate and systematic withholding of wages being amongst the most common. Forced labour perpetuates cycles of poverty and exploitation and strikes at the heart of human dignity. We now know that the situation has only got worse. The international community must urgently come together to take action to end this injustice, safeguard workers' rights, and uphold the principles of fairness and equality for all,” stated ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo.
The report stresses the urgent need for investment in enforcement measures to stem illegal profit flows and hold perpetrators accountable.
It recommends strengthening legal frameworks, providing training for enforcement officials extending labour inspection into high-risk sectors, and better coordination between labour and criminal law enforcement.
Yet forced labour cannot be ended through law enforcement measures alone, enforcement actions must be part of a comprehensive approach that prioritizes addressing root causes and safeguarding victims, underlines the report released from Geneva.
The Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930, and the Forced Labour (Supplementary Measures) Recommendation, 2014 (No. 203) provide a strategic framework for comprehensive action.
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador inaugurates smart post center in Khulna
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, inaugurated a Smart Service Point of Post Office in Koyra, Khulna on Tuesday to strengthen digital inclusion and facilitate access to public services leaving no one behind.
The Smart Service Point (SSP) initiative, a collaborative effort integrating digital solutions with traditional postal services, represents a significant stride towards realizing the vision of a Smart Bangladesh by 2041.
Swedish Crown Princess in Khulna’s Koyra to witness impact of climate change
Offering a spectrum of amenities such as parcel tracking, bill payment, and e-commerce facilitation, SSPs are revolutionizing accessibility and efficiency in rural areas of Bangladesh.