Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem, who also represents the country on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth, has reaffirmed her government's commitment to upholding media freedoms within the Commonwealth and beyond.  “The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will continue to work closely with the UK, Namibia and our Commonwealth fraternity to continually uphold and improve media freedom nationally,  globally and within the Commonwealth," she said. The High Commissioner made the remarks at a virtual event organised by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and High Commission of Namibia, on ‘Media Freedom in the Commonwealth’ on Wednesday in London. The event was co-hosted by the UK and Namibia at the advent of the World Press Freedom Day Conference 2021 scheduled to be hosted in Windhoek, Namibia on April 29 to May 3 in collaboration with the UNESCO.   Reflecting on the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Information as a Public Good”, the High Commissioner paid her tributes to journalists all around the world including those who lost their lives in the line of duty. She called upon the Commonwealth to support sustainability and economic viability of news and media houses across the Commonwealth especially in developing countries during the Covid crisis, enhanced transparency of internet companies, and greater media and information literacy among young people to ensure information is indeed delivered as ‘public good’. High Commissioner Tasneem also briefed the Commonwealth meeting on wide-ranging initiatives and reforms undertaken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government towards rapid liberalization, privatization and expansion of Bangladesh’s print, electronic and digital media industry over the past decade. The High Commissioner said apart from promoting an exponential growth in private electronic and digital media in Bangladesh, specially the internet-based news portals and TV channels leveraging media freedom and freedom of expression, the present government also created the country’s first journalists’ welfare trust to support special needs of journalists and their family members, and commissioned two wage boards to enhance their pay and salary packages by more than sixty percent since 2013.   Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC and High Commissioners of a number of Commonwealth countries, spoke on the occasion. The meeting was co-chaired by Head of Media Freedom at the UK FCDO Mr Kanbar Hussein and High Commissioner of Namibia to the UK Linda Scott.  

British Foreign and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for South Asia and Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmed has said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman laid the foundation of a strong partnership and deep friendship that Bangladesh-UK has been enjoying in the past five decades. He lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for upholding the spirit and values of Bangabandhu in building a self-reliant, secular and inclusive Bangladesh with maximal climate prosperity and resilient green future; and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to remain a critical partner of Bangladesh seeking to support peace and prosperity for its entire people. Addressing a virtual programme in London recently, the British Minister congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the people of Bangladesh and the British-Bangladeshis as Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of its Independence, according to Bangladesh High Commission in London. Bangladesh High Commission in London commenced a nine-month celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence and hosted a high-profile discussion and diplomatic reception held recently where ministers, leader of the opposition, members of House of Lords, Mayor of London and eminent parliamentarians from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales paid their profound homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs of 1971 War of Liberation. They highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the unprecedented growth and prosperity the country achieved under her visionary leadership. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland Saida Muna Tasneem chaired the event. Also read: Bangabandhu is an inspiration to many who fight for liberty, democracy: UK Minister Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Labour Party Deputy Leader and Chair Angela Rayner, MP, Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair at the House of Commons Tom Tugendhat, MP, Conservative Party Vice-Chair Ms Nickie Aiken, MP, International Ambassador of the Conservative Party Lord Hannan, Chair of All-party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh and the UK’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh Rushanara Ali, MP, Apsana Begum, MP, Sarah Boyack, MSP and IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim spoke as panelists.

British Foreign and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for South Asia and Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmed has said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Bangabandhu is "an inspiration" not just to the Bengali community across the world but to many who fight for liberty and democracy.

A staggering 74 percent of Bangladeshi youth are not taking any initiative to upskill themselves for post-COVID-19 job market challenges, according to a survey. Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), with support from Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government, released the findings at a webinar on Saturday. The study’s goal was to assess the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on Bangladeshi youth, BYLC said in a press release issued on Sunday.   When COVID-19 hit Bangladesh, the government was prompt in prioritising remote learning strategies to keep education uninterrupted, yet students’ learning was affected by regional and institution-wise disparity in digital readiness, it said.   According to the study, although COVID-19 has given rise to the demand for a whole new set of skills, young people are yet to recognise the importance of acquiring such skills.   Young entrepreneurs with limited cash runway struggled to stay operational during the pandemic.   Besides, 62 percent of the surveyed young entrepreneurs reported that they had to shut down their businesses temporarily or permanently due to the virus outbreak. In the absence of low-cost funding, digital and physical infrastructure, and mentorship support, young entrepreneurs foresee the business landscape of the country as bleak for them.   As the youth were trying to disentangle the challenges posed by COVID-19 in their education, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities, their mental and emotional well-being suffered.   Sixty-one percent of the surveyed youth mentioned experiencing mental stress in this situation, but only 20 percent of them took expert advice. Help-seeking behaviour was lower in women than that of men mainly due to social taboos and family restrictions.   Speaking at the webinar as the chief guest, Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury stressed on the importance of vocational training for youth to address the gaps in skills and employment opportunities.   "It is essential for us to prioritise technical and vocational education, or else we will not be able to reap the benefits of demographic dividend,” he said.   The survey was conducted from April to September and 1,464 youth, aged between 18 and 35, across eight divisions of Bangladesh took part.   The respondents included students, fresh graduates, young professionals, and young entrepreneurs.   Among the students, there was representation from public universities, private universities, colleges under National University, Bangla and English medium schools. Educators and industry experts were also consulted to suggest ways forward to address the challenges pertaining to employment, youth's experience of online education, entrepreneurial opportunities, and mental well-being during and after the pandemic.   The webinar was moderated by Ejaj Ahmed, President and Founder of BYLC.   Special guests Shaheen Anam, Executive Director, MJF, and Tina F.Jabeen, Managing Director and CEO, Startup Bangladesh Limited, also spoke at the webinar.   Read Also: BYLC hosts virtual run to observe Int’l Youth Day

The Local Government Division (LGD), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and UNDP have jointly begun a training programme.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday said the UK will lead a global call to action to protect the world’s poorest people from coronavirus and the increasing threat of famine.