United News of Bangladesh

Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Lilly Nicholls called on Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain at his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. They discussed issues of bilateral interest, including development partnership in agriculture, nursing and skills development, trade diversification, foreign  investment, and people to people contact. The Foreign Adviser thanked the High  Commissioner for her sincere efforts to advance the bilateral relations and assured of full cooperation of the government for her successor for furthering the warm and friendly relations.

Representatives from UNICEF, UNESCO and UNFPA on Sunday said that they consider the current government's initiatives in the education sector realistic and that they are ready to provide any kind of assistance in the education sector. They also emphasised on reforms in the education sector and especially opined that education policy 2010 needs to be updated. The delegations from the three UN organisations said these while calling on Education and Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud at his office in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city. The Education Adviser said that the present government is emphasising on quality education. “We welcome all possible cooperation from the United Nations and its specialised agencies in this regard,” he said. UNFPA Country Representative Kristine Blokhus, UNESCO Representative in Bangladesh Susan Vize and UNICEF Deputy Representative in Bangladesh Emma Brigham were present.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Sunday expressed their interest to continue their support to the current interim government. They expressed their willingness when a JICA delegation called on Planning and Education adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud at his office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The delegation also briefed their their development activities in Bangladesh. JICA Chief Representative in Bangladesh Ichiguchi Tomohide led the delegation where senior representatives Komori Takashi and Yamada Eiji were present. The Planning Adviser thanked the JICA delegates and expressed hope that Japan will continue to be Bangladesh's biggest development partner in the coming days as in the past.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday underscored the need for expedited third country resettlement of the Rohingya people who have been living in Bangladesh. The Chief Adviser made the call after he met officials of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at his office in Dhaka. The IOM chief of mission in Bangladesh Abdusattor Esoev gave an overview of the resettlement of the Rohingya to developed countries including in the United States. Washington DC has reaffirmed its commitment to resettle thousands of Rohingyas in the United States, but the process hasn't been accelerated. The Chief Adviser asked the officials to fast-track the process.  He told senior Bangladesh officials that the resettlement process should be easy, regular and smooth. "It should be the easiest of the process," he told the officials of IOM and the Bangladesh government. The IOM Bangladesh chief said the resettlement of the Rohingya resumed in 2022 after a gap of 12 years, but only this year the process gathered some pace. Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin, Home Secretary Abdul Momen, Secretary on SDG affairs Lamiya Morshed, Secretary of the Ministry of the Disaster Management and Relief, Kamrul Hasan and IOM deputy chief of mission Fatima Nusrath Ghazzali were also present during the meeting.

Referring to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s recent remarks, Foreign Adviser Md Tauhid Hussain on Sunday said he does not in any way think that there is any apprehension of war between Bangladesh and India. "We do not want to show any reaction. We have to understand whether he (Rajnath) has said this for the consumption of his own country or not,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The adviser said he was more surprised than concerned by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's recent remarks. He said the way he (Rajnath) says it, it is like beating around the bush. “I do not see any reason for India's war preparations for the war in Ukraine. I don't understand what the problem of Hamas has to do with it, and how it compares with Ukraine and Hamas with Bangladesh. We will look into it why he said this.” When asked whether the Indian defense minister's statement was a threat to Bangladesh or not, the foreign adviser said, "I still think that he (Rajnath) said it for internal consumption. So I don't want to speculate on that. We will definitely see what is happening and why it’s happening. Asked about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political asylum, Hossain said normally any country can give political asylum to anyone. “We will see (if that happens).”

Bangladesh has reiterated that it is not in a position to shelter any new Rohingya, rather wants to see those who recommend Bangladesh to take more Rohingyas to share the burden by taking them. “We also made it clear to the UNHCR. It is not possible for us (to take more Rohingyas). UNHCR wants us to provide shelter to them (new arrival),” Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday. He said Bangladesh has done more than what it was supposed to do by sheltering 1.2 million Rohingas on humanitarian grounds. “Those who come to us with advice or those who want to advise us - let them take the Rohingyas,” said the Adviser. He said the government is stopping the entry of new Rohingyas where it is possible. Hossain said they will discuss the Rohingya issue more deeply to find a solution. On September 3, the Foreign Affairs Adviser said the government would prevent any fresh entry of the Rohingyas, noting that around 8,000 Rohingyas recently entered Bangladesh, fleeing armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The Adviser said he will discuss the issue with the Home Adviser and it can even be discussed at the Council of Advisers. Bangladesh, in principle, has decided not to welcome any fresh entry though he said it is painful to say in such a way. “We need to try and prevent it,” he said, adding that it is difficult to seal off any border. Hossain said the border with Myanmar has been sealed off, but acknowledged the difficulty of completely securing the frontier. Earlier, Interim Government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus sought United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi’s support for the “dignified and voluntary” return of more than one million Rohingya people, who live in camps in Bangladesh, to their homeland in Myanmar. High Commissioner Grandi had a conversation with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus over the phone on Monday to congratulate him on his assumption of the leadership of the Interim Government of Bangladesh. The UNHCR chief requested the Chief Adviser to attend a meeting on the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Grandi informed the Chief Adviser that he plans to visit Bangladesh in October this year. Seven years ago, on 25 August 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday said there is a regular procedure in terms of holding any meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York which will be followed. “We will proceed as per the procedure that exists,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when a reporter wanted to know about the possibility of a meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said it is not like they would seek such a meeting a month ago, rather there is a system to follow. The Adviser said they are not 100 percent sure that Modi will be there at the UNGA. “In fact, if they do not want to meet us, there is nothing to do compulsorily.” Earlier, Indian media outlet Hindustan Times claimed that Bangladesh made a formal request in this regard earlier this week. Regarding the Chief Adviser’s delegation, the Foreign Affairs Adviser said it will be very limited and the members would not be more than 10-12. He said there is another list beyond the list published by some media outlets. “I am going with the Chief Adviser,” he said. The Chief Adviser is likely to reach New York on September 22 while he will return home on September 29. The 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) will open on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The Summit of the Future takes place on September 22 and 23, 2024.  The first of its kind, the Summit will bring together leaders, advocates, and activists of all ages to determine how the international system can better meet the needs of current and future generations.

The government has appointed Md. Jashim Uddin as the 27th Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday. A career diplomat, Jashim joined Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1994. Jashim, from the 13th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre, served extensively both at home and abroad. Prior to his appointment as Foreign Secretary, he was serving as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China with concurrent accreditation to Mongolia. He also served as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Qatar from 2020 to 2022 and as Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Malta and Republic of Armenia from 2015 to 2020. Jashim Uddin’s Ambassadorial assignments were preceded by stints as Deputy High Commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad from 2012 to 2013; as Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC from 2008 to 2012; as Counsellor at Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo from 2003 to 2005; and as First Secretary and Counselor at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi from 2000 to 2003. In between, he also served at the headquarters in different capacities. From 2013 to 2015, he was Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka in charge of South Asia as well as the East Asia and Pacific Wings. From 2005 to 2008, he was Director in charge of South Asia in Dhaka. A student of International Relations, Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin did both his Bachelor’s and Master’s from University of Dhaka. Later on, he obtained an MA Degree in Modern International Studies from University of Leeds, UK. He also attended a yearlong course at the National Defence College in Dhaka. On September 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bid farewell to immediate past Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, though his contractual appointment was scheduled to end in December this year. Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossan and senior officials of the ministry were present at the ceremony. Masud Momen's contractual appointment was cancelled a day after his formal farewell. The previous government extended the tenure of Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen by two more years under a contractual appointment effective from December 6, 2022 or from the date of his joining.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said has highlighted the importance of both formal and non-formal education programs to build an illiteracy-free Bangladesh. "Education is one of the basic human rights. Education is also the main tool of nation building," he said in a message marking the International Literacy Day that falls on September 8. The main aim of celebrating International Literacy Day is to make the people of the country aware and enthusiastic about education and literacy and transform them into human resources, said the Nobel Laureate. Prof Yunus said they need to improve the communication skills of children, adolescents and youth by creating opportunities to learn one or more languages ​​in addition to acquiring literacy in their mother tongue. Multilingual literacy creates strong connections between countries, cultures and languages. "By improving our communication skills, individual quality of life, national development and peace will be accelerated. The theme of this year's International Literacy Day points towards achieving that," Prof Yunus said. He said education is the main vehicle of nation building and the first step of education is literacy. "Hopefully, the concerned government and non-governmental organizations will always strive to implement the adopted programs as well as take effective steps to achieve the target of literacy and ensure quality education for all. That is why I call on all concerned to work together," Prof Yunus said. He wished all the programs undertaken on the occasion of "International Literacy Day-2024" all success. "I am glad to know that like other countries of the world, Bangladesh is also celebrating 'International Literacy Day-2024.  Since 1967, the annual celebrations of International Literacy Day (ILD) have taken place on 8 September around the world to remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy for creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. Literacy is a fundamental human right for all. It opens the door to the enjoyment of other human rights, greater freedoms, and global citizenship. Literacy is a foundation for people to acquire broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviours to foster a culture of lasting peace based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance and to build harmonious relations with oneself, other people and the planet. This year, ILD will be celebrated under the theme of "Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace". There is a pressing need to harness the transformative potential of literacy for promoting mutual understanding, social cohesion, and peace. In today’s world, in which multilingualism is a common practice for many, empowering people by adopting a first language-based, multilingual approach to literacy development and education is particularly effective for its cognitive, pedagogical, and socio-economic benefits. Such an approach can help promote mutual understanding and respect, while solidifying communal identities and collective histories, according to UNESCO.

The first batch of 14 Bangladeshi migrants who have been granted pardon by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, are expected to return home tonight. They are expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram between 7pm and 10pm on Saturday, according to Chief Adviser’s press wing. In a major diplomatic success in the first month of his administration, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus was able to persuade the UAE President to pardon the 57 Bangladeshi nationals who were jailed over expressing solidarity with the recent student-led upsurge through demonstrations in a few cities in the Gulf country.