South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said Bangladesh and South Korea will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties together next year and will head for a brighter future making the anniversary a milestone year for relations bettween the two countries. “I have many plans and ideas to make it happen. But it requires support and participation of all important stakeholders,” he said while speaking at KOICA Alumni Night-2022 at a hotel in Dhaka on Thursday. Though the two countries have enjoyed close and strong ties, the ambassador said, there still is huge untapped potential. “Our relations can surpass the level of Korea’s relations with other regional partner countries such as Vietnam and India, the third and eighth major trading partners of Korea,” he said. The ambassador said KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) can be and should be the leading agent and facilitator in their joint efforts for untapping potentials. This year, the Korean government decided to significantly increase the amount of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) funding to Bangladesh, from US$ 0.7 billion to US$ 3 billion over the next five years. Read more: Dhaka, Seoul to work together for their prosperity Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in collaboration with KOICA Bangladesh Alumni Association (KBAA) hosted the grand annual event known as “KOICA Alumni Night” strengthening friendly ties between Bangladesh and South Korea. State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak spoke as the chief guest. Nasima Begum, Member (Secretary), Planning Commission and President, KBAA, A.B.M. Amin Ullah Nuri, Secretary, Road Transport and Highways Division, Young-Ah Doh, Country Director, KOICA Bangladesh Office and Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Additional Secretary, Wing Chief (Asia, JEC and F&F), Economic Relations Division also spoke.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all to step up efforts to reimagine education -- training teachers, bridging the digital divide and rethinking curricula -- to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to flourish in a rapidly changing world.