Clarifying a media report, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan on Sunday (November 05, 2023) said any attempt to generalize incident on the industry and the country at large is unacceptable. The news mentions about technical glitches such as choking and ingestion hazard found it specific product item for babies sourced and retailed by specific brand in specific country. "As the news report mentions about 12 countries withdrawing or recalling apparel made in Bangladesh, there is no reference to such claim, and we could not trace any evidence in support of this claim," he said. BGMEA ready to implement new pay structure govt announces by Dec: BGMEA President "We feel the urge to share this clarification so that misrepresentation of the fact is not repeated,' said the BGMEA chief. He also clarified the reference to OECD which was mentioned in the news report. OECD maintains a “Global portal on product recalls” and the OECD members’ product recall notices are listed in this portal. IMF delegation meets BGMEA President to discuss challenges and prospects of RMG sector Product recall for any valid reason is a standard practice and there are hundreds of such recalls listed in the OECD website as of today, said the BGMEA President. Furthermore, the OECD website mentions “Health Canada recalled more than 200,000 George Brand Sleepers on Wednesday for posing a risk of choking and ingestion. The recall of the product, sold at Wal-Mart, is for sizes 0-5T and affects two styles for boys and two for girls. Zipper pulls and foot grips of the sleepers may eventually separate after frequent washing, leading to choking and ingestion hazards, the agency said, adding it has not received any reports of injury in Canada.” "Therefore, the products were recalled due to certain risk of hazard, which is not the mistake of Bangladeshi manufacturer. Every product made in Bangladesh must pass through a stringent quality control process and laboratory tests including those of consumer health and safety," he said. All exportable products must meet the standards of the buyers and relevant legal requirement of the export markets. BGMEA seeks NBR support to sustain RMG industry's global competitiveness amidst ongoing challenges Any product failing to comply these health and safety requirement are usually rejected by buyers or denied entrance at the destination port. "So any misinterpretation like ‘apparel made in Bangladesh is banned in the mentioned countries’ is false," Hassan said. The alleged products were shipped from Bangladesh in early 2022 and were retailed in Canada from November 2022 to June 2023. Brunei High Commissioner meets BGMEA President to discuss trade-investment potential The product recall notice of Health Canada also mentions that “As of September 21, 2023, the company has not received any reports of incidents or injuries in Canada”. "I hope this statement of clarification will help all to clear any confusion on this matter and not to be misguided," said the BGMEA Chief.

Heads of Mission representing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries had a “constructive meeting” with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Sunday and discussed the preparations of the next parliamentary polls. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson who attended the meeting said fair and transparent elections are vital for democracy.  “The UK and likeminded partners will continue to encourage a free and participatory process,” Dickson tweeted after the meeting. The OECD is a group of countries including the United States, Canada, Turkey, Germany and France which aims to assist economic development, raise living standards and promote growth in world trade. Read: OECD delegation interested in FBCCI's Innovation Centre European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley also attended the meeting. “Wide-ranging exchange today between heads of mission from OECD countries and the Bangladesh Election Commission on preparations for the December 2023 parliamentary polls,” he tweeted.

A visiting delegation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Centre has shown interest in the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Innovation Centre – to be set up to meet Bangladesh's post-LDC challenges. The FBCCI will set up an innovation centre for skill upgradation, research and innovation to deal with the new situation after 2026, the trade organisation's leaders told the delegation during a meeting Wednesday. Read: Serbia keen to invest in food storage industry in Bangladesh: FBCCI They sought the OECD's support for the initiative. Annalisa Primi, head of the Economic Transformation and Development Division at the Development Center, expressed her interest in the FBCCI centre and hoped to learn more about it.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday suggested the media boycott and stop giving publicity to statements from foreign missions expressing concern over Bangladesh’s internal issues saying Bangladesh never expresses concerns over any matter in the US or elsewhere.

Thirteen Ambassadors and High Commissioners stationed in Dhaka on Friday urged the government of Bangladesh to conduct a "swift, transparent, and independent inquiry" into the full circumstances of writer Mushtaq Ahmed’s death in police custody.

Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Ambassador Rabab Fatima said the graduating and the graduated countries from the LDC categories need extended international support to ensure their forward journey and prevent any possible slide back.

Participants in a webinar on Tuesday urged the government to be more careful about the risk of loans as the trend of loans has gone up following the coronavirus pandemic, LDC graduation and SDGs indexes.