Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has said Japan will keep working towards improving regional connectivity through infrastructure projects in the country. At the same time Tokyo will support Dhaka’s efforts at development and the stability, the ambassador said in a message marking two years as his country’s envoy in Bangladesh on Tuesday. "Japan will promote practical cooperation with Bangladesh to realize the vision of "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region," he said. Terming Japan the largest development partner of Bangladesh, the envoy said large-scale infrastructure projects that symbolize the country’s rapid economic growth are steadily underway.  The flagship projects are Dhaka Metro, expansion of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Jamuna Railway Bridge, and Matarbari Deep Sea Port.  A trial run of Dhaka Metro Line 6 began in August, which is expected to open by the end of 2022.  "At the same time, we will redouble our efforts to improve the investment climate for Japanese companies as they expand their investment and their business. We will continue to address customs clearance, overseas remittance, import transaction settlement, and taxation challenges," said the ambassador. Read: Japan-Bangladesh focusing on infrastructure, business ties: Ito Naoki Resolving the issue of the Rohingya refugees is also crucial from the perspective of realizing FOIP,  he said. "The recent situation in Myanmar since the coup last February has made the repatriation of refugees more difficult," said the envoy. As the crisis is protracted, he said, it is urgent to improve the condition of refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, including education, skill training, and livelihood.  The envoy said they welcome the MoU recently signed between the government of Bangladesh and UN refugee agency to cooperate in the relocation plan of the refugees to Bashan Char Island.  "Japan will work with the international community for humanitarian assistance and the repatriation of the displaced people," Naoki said. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations next year Japan’s new Prime Minister Kishida Fumio wrote a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stating that he would strive to deepen cooperation between the two countries.  Japan will work "vigorously" to deepen understanding of Japan further, expand people-to-people exchange and promote Japanese culture in Bangladesh, by holding the anniversary events in 2022, said the envoy. For the sake of the safety and security of Japanese people living in Bangladesh and visitors to Bangladesh, he said, the embassy will make every effort to build a better relationship between Japan and Bangladesh in all fields, while asking for your opinions and cooperation. Read: Ambassador Ito sees 5 challenges ahead to elevate Dhaka-Tokyo ties The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted economic activities and cultural and people’s exchanges between Japan and Bangladesh during the one and half years.  "Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a year of deepening friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries," said the ambassador. From July to August, Japan provided more than 3 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine with Bangladesh.  "The gift from the Japanese people was to meet the needs of the people of Bangladesh facing the threat of COVID-19 infection," said the ambassador adding that they will also continue their efforts to make the vaccination available further to Japanese citizens in Bangladesh. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said China has been a significant partner in the development endeavors of Bangladesh.  On the auspicious occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dr Momen sent a letter of felicitation to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and extended his heartiest congratulations to Wang Yi and the friendly people of China. Read:President greets his Chinese counterpart on China’s founding anniversary The Foreign Minister appreciated China's assistance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He fondly recalled his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during his visit to China in 2019, during which they reached broad consensus on different bilateral, regional and international issues.  Dr Momen expressed his willingness to work in close cooperation with Wang Yi to further deepen China-Bangladesh relations and  promote peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Many non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) still have very strong emotional ties with Bangladesh and are willing to be a part of the country's progress through transferring skills and experience or investment, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) chief said Tuesday. Faruque Hassan paid a courtesy call on Sadia Faizunnesa, consul general of the Consulate General of Bangladesh in New York, Tuesday. READ: BGMEA wants to increase RMG exports to Canada, promote positive image He requested the consul general to extend more support, services and information to potential investors to encourage them to invest in Bangladesh. Faruque sought the cooperation of the consul general in paving the way for Bangladeshis living in the US so that they can promote the interests of Bangladesh, including branding the country positively. READ: BGMEA chief invites Canadian businessmen to invest in Bangladesh They discussed different issues, especially possible areas of engagement for NRBs in national development and how more foreign investment could be brought to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has urged expatriates living in the US to contribute more to Bangladesh's development. "Your support and contribution will help Bangladesh realise its untapped potential – namely, draw foreign investment, project a positive image and protect interests of the country internationally," he said. READ: BGMEA wants to increase RMG exports to Canada, promote positive image The BGMEA chief made the call while addressing the conference "New World New Hope: United Nations and Bangladesh" organised by the Centre for Non Resident Bangladeshis in New York recently on the sidelines of the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations, the apex body of the country's apparel industry said Saturday. Bangladeshis living abroad, especially the NRBs holding influential positions in their countries of residence, including the US, can play an important role in promoting the interests of Bangladesh at policy-making levels, Faruque said. READ: BGMEA chief invites Canadian businessmen to invest in Bangladesh He also urged the Bangladeshi community in the US to give preference to "Made in Bangladesh" garments during their shopping and also present them as gifts to their foreign friends.  "It will not only pave the way for Bangladesh to increase its apparel export to the US market but also help promote 'Made in Bangladesh' brand among the US citizens," he added.

Speakers at a virtual dialogue on Wednesday stressed the need for using the country’s ‘disengaged youths’ for the development of the country. “Bangladesh youths have very innovative power and many of them are becoming entrepreneurs and surviving in the global competitions with their merit and talent. But there is another youth community who is not properly used for the country and the nation,” said noted economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya. Citizen’s Platform for SDGs Bangladesh and UNDP Bangladesh arranged the virtual dialogue on “Disengaged Youth in Bangladesh: Who, Why and How?” on the eve of the International Youth Day 2021, which would be observed on Thursday (August 12) across the world. Dr Bhattacharya, also the Convenor of the Citizen’s Platform said the disengaged youths are not engaged in education, training or employment. “We call them ‘Disengaged Youth’ not ‘Alienated Youth’ of the country,” he said. Noting that there is difference in opinion over the definition of youths, he said if the people aged below 25 years are considered as youths, they would be 45 percent of the country’s population, who will lead the global development programmes in future.   Read: Dhaka-Beijing ties can be prime mover for Bangladesh’s transformation: Debapriya However, the youths are badly facing the brunt of the ongoing pandemic situation, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, also a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). UNDP Resident Representative Sudipto Mukerjee in his introductory speech put emphasis on connecting the disengaged youths to the mainstream for keeping the commitment made under the 2030 global development agenda (SDGs) to ‘Leave No One Behind’. He said many young people are at a great risk of being deprived of the entitlement of leading dignified and productive lives. “If they will not be quickly connected, we would badly fail in achieving the agenda 2030,” he said. Researcher Maha Mirza said there is a lack of policy discourse to address the huge number of the youth population disengaged from the country’s socio-economic development process. “Since our planners and policymakers can’t think beyond three things –garments, remittance and 4th industrial revolution, the biggest portion of the youth community, who are engaged in different sorts of economic activities in information and formal sectors across the country, often remain out of their plans and policies,”  she said. Transgender rights activist Tashnuva Anan Shishir pointed out the absence of specific legal facilities, social stigma and lack of awareness are leaving the transgender youths behind. Read: Protect consumption, promote employment in next budget: Debapriya Disability Rights Activist Joshiah Sangma Chibol mentioned that people with disabilities are not a homogenous group, rather there are many dimensions to it. Different types of physical disability and social stigma prevents them from accessing general education and basic rights, which needs to be addressed for future development. Executive Director of Youth Engagement for Sustainability (YES), Bangladesh Shamim Ahmed said more focus should be on youth skill development and employment to contribute more towards the economy. The policies should not be urban-centric only, he suggested. Mohon Rabidas, Tea Garden Worker Rights Activist, commented that the youth of the tea garden workers community are mostly disengaged from the outside world and do not even receive proper education, for which they are unable to raise their voice. Jimi Amir of Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) said the term “disengaged” needs to be accurately defined to address the overall youth disengagement. CPD Senior Research Fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan moderated the dialogue.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged people to take a vow afresh not to allow anyone to hinder Bangladesh’s democratic and development progress by playing ducks and drakes with their fate. “On this auspicious occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to vow afresh that no one can play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh. No one can hinder the country’s democratic and development progress,” she said. The Prime Minister was addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day 2021. State-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar simultaneously broadcast the Prime Minister’s speech at 7:30 pm on Thursday. Private television channels and radio stations also aired the speech. The Prime Minister called upon people to work for building Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal) as dreamt by the Father of the Nation. “Let’s build Bangladesh as a developed, prosperous and non-communal Sonar Bangla by forgetting all the differences and being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War,” she said. Noting that the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence just should not be a formality, she said, “On the occasion of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of Independence, we’ve to take vow afresh to take our country to a new height.” Also read: Make a vow to implement Bangabandhu’s dreams: PM Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has achieved an unimaginable success in the socio-economic index as a result of her government’s tireless works over the past 12 years. Last month, she said, Bangladesh received the final recommendation to graduate from the least developed country (LDC) group. “Bangladesh has not only surpassed its neighbours in various indexes like life expectancy, gender equality, universal primary education, women education, women's political rights, women and child mortality, sanitation and food availability, but also exceeded many developed countries in many cases,” she said. But the path of this development has not been smooth at all as the anti-liberation forces inside and outside the country carried out various ill-motivated activities to hinder the progress of Bangladesh. “This process still continues. So, we all will have to resist all the anti-state attempts by playing the role of vigilant watchdogs.” Sheikh Hasina said passing half a century of independence is a significant milestone for the life of a nation. “For us, this Golden Jubilee celebration has become more colorful as Bangladesh Awami League, forming the government, started running the government with the ideology of Liberation War. Today, Bangladesh has stood raising its head in the world as a proud country proving all the negative and pessimistic predictions against Bangladesh wrong, she said. Even a decade ago, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangladesh was presented as an example of poverty. “But today development experts are presenting Bangladesh as a role model for poverty alleviation and development.” Also read: Develop the habit of reading: PM Hasina Presenting the current picture of several socio-economic indicators compared to the 2005-06 fiscal year, she said the per capita income increased to US$ 2,064 now from just US$ 543, while the poverty rate dropped to 20.5 percent from 41.5 percent, the GDP size rose to Tk 2800,000 crore from only Tk 482,337 crore, and the foreign currency reserve to US$ 44 billion from only US$ 0.744 billion during the period. She said the budget size has increased to Tk 568,000 crore in the current fiscal year from only Tk 61,000 crore in 2005-06 fiscal year, while the average life expectancy to 72.6 years in 2019-20 fiscal from 59 years in 2005-06 fiscal, the infant mortality rate has come down to 28 from 84 per thousand, the maternal mortality rate to 165 from 370 per lakh and the power generation capacity has increased to 24,421 megawatt from 4,900 megawatt. “Today's achievement is, in fact, the achievement of the common people of this country,” she added. She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had declared the Independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26, 1971 just before he was arrested by Pakistani army. His announcement spread across the country through the wireless of the then EPR, she said. The independence of Bangladesh had come as the result of the 24-year continuous political struggle. And Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had led from the front in this struggle from the beginning to the end, said Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu. Also read:  PM Hasina leads from front in battle against pandemic: Envoy “Today, we’re proud citizens of independent and sovereign Bangladesh thanks to the birth of that great man named Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib. Today, we’re proud of our own country, language and culture because he was born,” said the PM. Sheikh Mujib is the creator of a country and a state. “So, we’re celebrating his birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence simultaneously,” she said. On the eve of the Independence Day, the PM extended her sincere greetings to all the citizens of Bangladesh living at home and abroad. Sheikh Hasina thanked the people of Bangladesh for keeping Bangladesh Awami League, the political party that led the Liberation War, in power while celebrating these two important milestones in the national life.

Visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday emphasized sharing of development experiences between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for the socio-economic development of the two countries.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said there is no chance for Bangladesh to look back as it is time to march forward.

Heaping praise on Japan for its contribution to Bangladesh's development, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has said further bilateral cooperation is crucial for this country to graduate to a developing nation.

Planning Minister MA Mannan on Friday urged people from all wake of life to remain united to continue the country’s development in any situation as during the Liberation War.