Power secretary Md Habibur Rahman has sought the leading global companies' collaboration with the Bangladesh power sector for its sustainable development. "Switching to hydrogen fuel for power generation in the future is one example, where global companies like GE, having tremendous experience in the field, can collaborate with us," he said while addressing a seminar titled: "Powering Smart Bangladesh" at a city hotel on Tuesday. American company GE (General Electric) hosted the seminar, which was also addressed by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) chairman Mahbubur Rahman, and chief executive officer of GE Gas Power South Asia, Deepesh Nanda. The power secretary said Bangladesh will also welcome the tested technologies in the power and energy sector to reduce carbon emissions. Also Read: Bangladesh number one place to engage 3 big powers and play a bridging role: Prof Kanti Bajpai "We're keen to invest in technologies that are already tested and can help Bangladesh to reduce carbon emissions quickly", he said He noted that the government is prioritising the introduction of policy interventions that can support the development of clean energy infrastructure in Bangladesh and contribute towards economic growth of the country by effectively meeting the power demand in the future. The central theme of the seminar was leading a new era of clean energy by focusing on GE’s advanced gas turbine technology, which is capable of burning blends of hydrogen and natural gas, to lead the energy transition in Bangladesh and decarbonise it further. It was informed in the event that GE has more than 120 gas turbines globally that are running on between 5 percent (by volume) and 100 percent hydrogen, and have accumulated more than 8.5 million operating hours. In a move to lead the global energy transition, GE announced in 2022 the spin-off of GE Vernova as a purpose-built business, that highlights the company’s commitment to sustainability and elevating its position as a key player in the energy industry that empowers climate action in all markets. BPDB chairman Mahbubur Rahman said Bangladesh is already a power surplus nation with 100 percent coverage of electricity, and now our focus is to supply reliable electricity in an uninterrupted manner. "We are deploying the latest technologies and digital solutions to make the power infrastructure more robust, and I see GE Vernova, a new company, through its comprehensive portfolio, playing a crucial role in taking this journey forward", he said. "GE Vernova can also help us in meeting the Smart Bangladesh Vision in the future,” he added. GE Gas Power South Asia CEO Deepesh Nanda said his company remains committed to leading a new era of clean energy in Bangladesh. "Today, GE’s technology is powering multiple power plants in the country and our power services are helping the power plant owners to use the fuel efficiently while generating electricity at lower cost", he said. "GE will continue to offer a comprehensive portfolio of powering solutions distinguished by our commitment to quality, productivity, cost effectiveness and safety standards.” He said as Bangladesh diversifies its energy mix, GE’s hybrid power solutions can create an ecosystem in Bangladesh to supply electricity on round-the-clock basis in future. Managing director of Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd., Sazzadur Rahman, director general of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain, Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader, GE Power Jeffrey Goldmeer also spoke at the event.    

Recover, a global producer of low-impact, high-quality recycled cotton fibre and fibre blends, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have discussed a possible collaboration to enhance the capacity of recycling the textile waste in Bangladesh to make the country a global hub of recycling. They expressed high optimism about developing the recycling industry in Bangladesh as 75 percent of apparel products are cotton-based and nearly 400,000 tons of recyclable pre-consumer waste is produced in Bangladesh every year, of which only 5 percent is locally recycled. Benjamin Joseph Malka, executive chairman of Recover, met with BGMEA President Faruque in Dhaka Wednesday. Alejandro Raña, chief business development officer, at Recover, was also present at the meeting. Read more: Bangladesh's RMG bracing for next phase of growth: BGMEA "We see a huge prospect in developing the recycling industry in Bangladesh. By capturing and reusing textile waste, we can reduce our cotton import and export clothing, made of recycled fibres, worth around USD 3 billion," Faruque said. Bangladesh's apparel industry has turned its focus on a shift from the linear economic model to circular as a circular fashion system could bring not only environmental but financial benefits for Bangladesh, he added. BGMEA has already entered into a partnership with Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), Reverse Resources, and P4G in an initiative "Circular Fashion Partnership" which aims to achieve a long-term, scalable transition to a circular fashion system. Read more: BGMEA seeks uninterrupted energy supply by special arrangements  Ben said Recover had already made a huge investment in the recycling industry of Bangladesh and was keen to invest more to develop the recycling capacity in the country.    

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has called upon global apparel brands to collaborate with their suppliers to build their capacities in manufacturing high-end apparels, especially non-cotton items and textile textiles. He also urged the brands to increase their sourcing from Bangladesh in the coming days, according to BGMEA. Faruque mentioned diversification of products as a key to ensure sustained growth of Bangladesh’s apparel industry. A delegation of BGMEA led by President Faruque Hassan has joined the Executive Summit of American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) being held in Washington D.C. to represent the apparel industry of Bangladesh and showcase its success stories and potential among international brands and buyers. READ: BGMEA for strengthening diplomatic efforts to expand exports to US  The delegation comprised Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Abdullah Hil Rakib and Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan, and Chairman of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud. The AAFA Executive Summit 2022 has brought together senior level executives from retail, apparel, footwear, and fashion accessory brands from the U.S. and the globe for two days of thought-provoking dialogue. On the sideline of the event, the BGMEA leaders met with senior representatives of leading apparel brands including Halide Alagöz, Executive Vice President, Chief Supply Chain and Sustainability Officer at Ralph Lauren Corp, Christopher J. Volpe, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at United Legwear and Apparel Co. and Chris Gleeson, Director, Global Marketing, YKK (USA) Inc on Thursday. During the meetings the BGMEA chief apprised them of the paradigm shift of Bangladesh’s garment industry in the area of workplace safety and exemplary strides in environmental sustainability. READ: Close cooperation on trade can be win-win for Bangladesh, Indonesia: BGMEA  He also shed light on the industry’s commitment and continued efforts to remain as a preferred choice of global apparel brands as a safe, ethical and sustainable sourcing destination. Alongside the safety and sustainability, the industry is also increasingly focusing on diversifying its products, especially high-end non-cotton items and building capacities to cater to the demands of global brands and buyers.

Bangladesh and Mauritius will collaborate on potential areas to boost trade and investment to elevate bilateral ties. Both sides particularly mentioned the pharmaceutical, tourism and IT sectors. Also read: Romania to send Consular team to Dhaka for 3 months Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, now on an official visit from February 13-15 February, paid a courtesy call on Mauritius Foreign Minister Alan Ganoo and his counterpart Haymandoyal Dillum where the whole gamut of bilateral issues was discussed.  

A delegation of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) paid a courtesy visit to Brigadier General Md Nazmul Haque, director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Monday. They discussed how the BGMEA and DMCH can collaborate to ensure that garment workers and employees get healthcare services on a priority basis. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said the apex body of the apparel industry places utmost importance on ensuring healthcare facilities for the apparel workers. The BGMEA runs 12 health centres that provide healthcare facilities and medicines to more than 60,000 garment workers per year free of cost. The centres also conduct awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, reproductive health and the use of contraceptives. Also, for the apparel workers, a full-fledged hospital is operational in Chattogram, Faruque said. READ: Cleaner, greener production cannot come at free of cost: BGMEA chief BGMEA vice-presidents Shahidullah Azim, Md Nasir Uddin; Assistant Director of DMCH Dr Md Ashraful Alam, and Associate Professor at DMCH Dr Md Imdadul Haque were present at the meeting. READ: BGMEA urges LGRD Ministry to repair roads in industrial areas

The Joe Biden administration will seek to build a new "collaborative approach" on trade with India that will respect each other's "sensitivities" and "political requirements", instead of "locking horns" which makes it a "tug of war" or a "zero sum game", US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in an interview, reports The Economic Times. On China's aggressive economic policies, Tai batted for creating a "new version of globalisation" as many countries were facing the consequences of "over reliance on a single source", which has created a special awareness on building resilient supply chains. "I think it's a lesson to all of us on how we can work together to make a new version of globalisation that's going to be resilient and durable," she said. Read: US to require vaccines for all border crossers in January On possibility of free trade agreement with India, she said the US was refashioning its approach to a more worker-centric model. "US trade policy has become disconnected from people. There's a significant trust gap with workers, citizens. We need to ground our trade policy in the reality of people so that we can build back support to become strong reliable partners for trade." Tai indicated that while it's still work in progress, the US may be looking at labour and environmental standards. 'Need to Focus on Creative Solutions'  "It is a conversation where we do look at workers' provisions, environment provisions but I want to make it clear it's not limited to that," Tai said. At the same time, she stressed the need to forge an innovative trade relationship with India. "We will talk to and listen to India, put ourselves into a more collaborative posture where we can respect each other's sensitivities, political requirements and look to build something together." Read: New Zealand to start reopening borders to world from January Tai, who made certain India was included in her first visit to Asia which covered Japan and Korea, identified digital trade as a potential area where new approaches could be developed. "This is an area where there's an opportunity to learn lessons from the past and apply them. It's a ripe opportunity for governments that share values like democracies to work together. How do we take into account the needs of just the economic actors, service suppliers but also consumers, content creators and workers? They also have rights like privacy for example. Privacy is a great example where countries are working on ways to regulate, create rules, manage differences, evolve approaches." When asked regarding US concerns on India's ecommerce rules, the USTR said both sides needed to find creative solutions. "We need to have more productive ways of engaging and communicating with each other as governments. I think in traditional ways when we come to trade issues, it very easily breaks down into a feeling that we are in a tug of war or a zero sum game. There is a way for us to approach such issues by understanding each and being creative in formulating solutions." Read: South Korea sets pandemic high with 4,000 new virus cases Besides this, Tai batted for reforms in the World Trade Organization, which is due to have its ministerial meeting soon. "The WTO is absolutely relevant. It represents a set of rules, structure that allows us to talk to each other. But the WTO needs reform. We will look to energise the membership to come together and discuss how to bring the reform we all want."  

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor on Thursday laid emphasis on greater collaboration with Bangladesh noting that Bangladesh has an amazing story to tell. "Bangladesh is well on its way to achieve Sonar Bangla. Bangladesh is now called a development miracle," she said. Read: Bangladesh explores JV agricultural projects with South Africa The South African Minister was delivering her speech at a function titled "Bangladesh-South Africa Bilateral Relations: Exploring the Potentials for Future Engagement and Cooperation". Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen spoke as the chief guest at the function organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS). The African Minister talked about vaccine issue and laid emphasis on equal access to all countries. Read: India's first grass conservatory established in Uttarakhand's Ranikhet