She made the remarks at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the Dhaka Meeting of the two-day Dhaka Meeting of the Global Commission on Adaptation at Intercontinental Hotel in the city.

PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

Kristalina Georgieva, also a Bulgarian economic analyst, said she was a student during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Bangladesh got independence under charismatic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she added.

“Your family is a symbol of freedom and struggle across the globe,” Kristalina Georgieva was quoted as telling the PM.

About the adverse impacts of climate change, the WB Chief Executive Officer said the World Bank wants to save people from the adverse impacts.

She assured that the World Bank will provide support to Bangladesh in its efforts to face the climate change.

Talking about the Rohingya crisis, Kristalina Georgieva said Myanmar should initiate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland as they were forcibly displaced from Rakhine state.

The WB Chief Executive Officer highly appreciated Bangladesh’s all-out development under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

About women empowerment and education in Bangladesh, she said girls are doing better than boys here.

She mentioned that the bank will continue its maximum support to Bangladesh through its International Development Association (IDA) for further development of the country.

The global lender’s chief executive stressed the need for regional connectivity through water ways to promote trade and business in this region.

Noting that Bangladeshi is a home to a huge population, Kristalina Georgieva suggested reduction of population growth systematically.

The Prime Minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had begun rebuilding the war-ravaged country soon after the independence. But the development of the country came to a halt after the assassination of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said when her government came to power, its main task is to ensure the basic needs of people, including food, health, cloths, housing and education, and it has relentlessly been working to this end.

As a result, the country witnessed huge progress, particularly in poverty reduction, agriculture, power and energy sector, she added.

Hasina said her government increased the power generation capacity to 4,200 megawatt from 1,600 megawatt during its 1996-2001rule, but it later came down to 32,00 megawatt.

Returning to power in 2009, she said, her government again increased the power generation capacity to 22,000 megawatt now.

She also said Bangladesh attained huge development in the agriculture sector because of research.

The Prime Minister said her government brought down the poverty rate to 21 percent from 42 percent.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, PM’s International Relation Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman and Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs at the PMO Abul Kalam Azad were present at the meeting.