Former ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin joined the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday morning as an ambassador-at-large with the rank and status of a minister. PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus and PMO Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah welcomed him with a flower bouquet. On Thursday last, the government issued a gazette notification reappointing Ziauddin as an ambassador-at-large. Prior to joining as Bangladesh ambassador to the US, he was the ambassador-at-Large of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with the rank and status of a state minister. Ziauddin served as Bangladesh ambassador to the US and was concurrently accredited to the Republic of Argentina, Belize, the Republic of Colombia, the Dominican Republic, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Also read: Ziauddin reappointed as ambassador-at-large He was also the permanent representative at the International Seabed Authority located in Jamaica. After joining the diplomatic service, Ziauddin served in the Bangladesh High Commission in London, the Bangladesh High Commission in Nairobi, and the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York. Also, he was director-general of the International Organizations Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chief of protocol to the Government of Bangladesh before joining as the Bangladesh ambassador to Italy. Ziauddin was Ambassador to Italy, concurrently in charge as Bangladesh ambassador to the Republic of Albania and to the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was also the permanent representative of Bangladesh to FAO, WFP, and IFAD.

A high-level committee has started working out strategy and plan to overcome the possible challenges of Bangladesh’s graduation from the status of a least developed country (LDC). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on April 26 last formed the 22-member committee, headed by Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, for preparation, planning, implementation and monitoring in tackling the possible challenges of Bangladesh’s LDC graduation. The committee sat in its first meeting virtually on Wednesday. Dr Ahmad Kaikaus presided over the meeting, joining it from the Prime Minister’s Office. The meeting discussed different possible negative impacts on the country’s economy, socioeconomic and other areas, especially in the export oriented sectors like RMG and pharmaceuticals during the post-graduation period. Also read: Bangladesh’s LDC graduation: Govt has its plan to face next challenges Economic Relations Divisions (ERD) Secretary Fatima Yasmin made a power-pint presentation in the meeting. The committee decided to sort out the possible challenges in different sectors within a month. To this end, a six-member subcommittee was formed under senior secretary of Commerce Ministry Dr Md Jafar Uddin. “The subcommittee was asked to identify the sector-wise challenges and prepare an action plan within one month,” PMO Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah told reporters after the meeting. Noting that Bangladesh would lose different international supports during the post-graduation period, he said duty free and quota free access and concessional loan facilities from bilateral or multilateral sources for Bangladesh would be narrowed for Bangladesh following the graduation. Also read: Work together to tackle negative impacts after LDC graduation: Speakers Besides, the issue of intellectual property rights would shrink any time after 2033, he said. In the meeting, the committee also took the decision to arrange a large-scale seminar with experts of different sectors and academicians as early as possible to receive their views and opinions over the post-LDC challenges. The committee will sit in a meeting every month regularly. The committee members are Principal coordinator (SDGs Affairs) at the PMO (Zuena Aziz), senior secretary of ICT Division, Senior secretary of Finance Division, NBR chairman, the member (GED) of the Planning Commission, Senior secretary of Commerce Ministry, PMO secretary, ERD secretary, foreign secretary, industries secretary, agriculture secretary, environment secretary, BIDA executive chairman, chairman of Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, liberation war affairs secretary, Planning Commission’s member Sharifa Khan, FBCCI president, BGMEA president, DCCI president, Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) president, director general (Executive Cell and PEPZ) at PMO (member secretary of the committee) joined the meeting. Also read: Swedish development cooperation to continue past LDC graduation Bangladesh has started its LDC graduation journey with the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She participated in the 4th LDC related summit of the United Nations held on May 9-13, 2011, where “Istanbul Plan of Action” was adopted. Since then, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the action plan for the LDC graduation of Bangladesh, and she has been giving directives to this end constantly, said the PMO Secretary.

The Prime Minister Office (PMO) on Tuesday directed all concerned to perform their responsibilities with sincerity and integrity as per directives of the Prime Minister to conduct relief and rescue activities, ensure proper management of shelter centres and keep communication network operative in flood-affected areas of the country.