The government has taken an initiative to ensure safe return of Bangladeshis who got stuck in troubled Lebanon, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment are working together for the return of Bangladeshis trapped in war-torn Lebanon. The government is working closely with all concerned to bring back all the Bangladeshis who wish to return from Lebanon safely, said the MoFA. Khurshed Alam will carry out Foreign Secretary’s routine activities until further notice: MoFA An inter-ministerial meeting has already been held with the participation of Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin, Expatriates’ Welfare Secretary Md Ruhul Amin and Managing Director & CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited Dr. Md. Shafiqur Rahman. Bangladesh Mission Heads assigned to the Middle East joined the meeting on the Zoom platform. The Foreign Secretary has issued necessary instructions to the Bangladeshi ambassador in Lebanon to take necessary measures for the safe return of Bangladeshis stranded in Lebanon. He also gave necessary instructions to ensure the safety of all the expatriate Bangladeshis staying there who do not want to come to the country. Already, a notification has been issued to enroll Bangladeshis who wish to return from the embassy and initially about a thousand migrant workers are said to be willing to return home.

The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) on Monday launched a digital platform, Returning Migrants Management of Information Systems (ReMiMIS), to collect, analyze, and store data of returning migrants to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh urgently needs to produce skilled migrant workers through reskilling and up-skilling considering the long-term development of the country.

UN Women Bangladesh in collaboration with Unilever Bangladesh and Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEW&OE) launched a project on Saturday to support women returnee migrants with ‘dignity’ packages and health-hygiene kits in 10 districts across the country. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment hosted a high-level international webinar to look at the need to assess and certify the skills of millions of Bangladeshi migrant workers.

Twenty one Bangladeshi civil society organizations working on migration and development demanded release and protection of Mohammad Rayhan Kabir who was arrested in Malaysia for speaking in a documentary broadcasted by Al Jazeera.

Md Selim Reza, secretary to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, has been made secretary to Railways Ministry.

Bangladesh and Qatar on Monday discussed ways to strengthen commercial ties further between the two countries and send more workers there ahead of the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar in November-December, 2022.