Foreign Minister  AK Abdul Momen has reaffirmed Bangladesh's commitment to ensuring that over 75 million autistic people in the world can make the most of their talents and participate fully in the societies. Momen was delivering his opening remarks at a virtual event on World Autism Awareness Day 2022 organized by the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh and the State of Qatar to the United Nations in New York, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and Autism Speaks on Thursday.  Also read:No need for volunteers from Bangladesh to join Russian special military operation: Embassy He shared good practices from Bangladesh in supporting children with autism and their families during the pandemic, including through targeted support measures and use of ICTs.  In this context, he said during Covid-19, the children with autism and their families suffered disproportionately due to disruptions in their education and therapeutic services.  However, the existing social support system, strong ICT infrastructure and robust community-based health services in Bangladesh helped many families cope up with the challenges. Referring to the increased awareness on autism in Bangladesh, the foreign minister said various stakeholders, ministries and departments have worked together to mitigate the challenges and stigma faced by the persons with autism. He mentioned various initiatives undertaken by the current government such as ‘Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013’ and ‘Neuro-development Trust Act 2013’, etc.  “Our government has been promoting a ‘culture of innovation’ to take advantage of the assistive tools and technologies. Digital Bangladesh initiative has opened a new era in extending disability inclusive e-service, webs and other ICT-based services”, the Foreign Minister  added.