Dhaka, Sept 16 (UNB) – The government has extended appointment tenure of Farid Hossain, Minister (Press) at Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, for two more years. 

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification in this regard on Sunday. 

The extension of contractual appointment for another two years will be effective from September 22 or date of joining keeping all previous terms and conditions unchanged, the notification reads. 

Senior journalist and former Bangladesh Bureau Chief of Associated Press (AP) Farid Hossain joined Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi in September 2016.
 

Dhaka, Sept 16 (UNB) - The German Federal Foreign Office will grant Euro 1.1 million for implementation of ‘Support to Community Stabilisation and Resilience’ project in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar. 

The project will jointly be implemented by UNDP and the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Germany on Sunday signed an agreement in this regard.

German Ambassador in Dhaka Peter Fahrenholtz and UNDP Bangladesh Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee signed the agreement at the German Embassy here.

Country Representative of UN WomenShoko Ishikawa, also a partner of the project, attended the signing ceremony along with UNDP Bangladesh Deputy Country DirectorKyoko Yokosuka.

The year-long project aims to establish community security and gender-responsive policing in Cox’s Bazar district, which is reeling under the pressure of the most concentrated and fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world, since the latest Rohingya influx in August 2017.  

The population in the district has more than tripled, said a UNDP media release.

Cox's Bazar was already struggling, before the influx, to address high levels of poverty - 40% higher than the national average, said UNDP.

On top of that, it said, government services for host communities are stretched very thin, due to added pressure from the camps, leading to dissatisfaction inside the host community. 

The influx has further increased pressures on local infrastructure, and tensions are rising even within households, according to UNDP.

The project aims to address the impact of the influx on host communities and governance institutions, while promoting social cohesion and stability. 

The project will also engage and train local leaders to build their capacities to respond to increasing tensions and grievances, to be effective mediators and to counter radical narratives in their respective communities. 

A comprehensive support package will be provided to the police to improve security, and improve the quality of responses, especially for women and children.

Dhaka, Sept 16 (UNB) - Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher  Rizvi on Sunday said the next general election will be held fairly and timely without creating any impediment to any political party. 

“There’s no question about election. [The] election will be held in time… on time. [The] election will be held according to the rules – free and fair. There’ll be no impediment to any political party from participating in the election,” he said. 

The Foreign Affairs Adviser was addressing a discussion as the chief guest on Bangladesh-Australia trade and investment opportunities at a city hotel.

The Australia Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ABCCI) hosted the welcome reception to High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh Julia Niblett and the discussion on ‘Bilateral Business & Trade Opportunities Between Australia & Bangladesh’.

Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Kazi M Aminul Islam and President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Md Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin) spoke as special guests at the programme held with ABCCI President Obaidur Rahman in the chair. 

ABCCI Vice President M Khan made a presentation on Bangladesh-Australia trade and investment opportunities. 

Dr Rizvi hoped that there will a political revival and rejuvenation of all political parties and political institutions -- everybody will come forward to keep up the democratic continuity.

He, however, said the outcome of election results is always unpredictable. “Election results may be unpredictable. What not unpredictable is our economic policies that will remain predictable and there’ll be a continuity and there’ll be no change.”

Dr Rizvi invited the Australian investors to come and invest in Bangladesh taking the advantage of ‘stable political system’ availability of workers and fast growing market inside Bangladesh and re-export to other countries. “So, the investors who will come here can come and there won’t be any change.” 

He said Bangladesh has a stable society with political stability and growing maturity of democratic institutions. "We’ll have to continue the stable society… there’ll be democratic continuity…. There’s no doubt about it.”

Dr Rizvi said Bangladesh is now a different place with social and economic growth, and the political stability over the last 10 years played the key role.

He said political and social stability is one of the reasons why Bangladesh has done so well in the last 10 years.

“Bangladesh today, in the every sense of the word, is a very, very different place. You can look at every possible indicator -- social or economic. We can be truly proud of our achievements in the last 10 years. What made this possible was political stability,” Dr Rizvi said.

Mentioning over 7 percent growth in the last two years and over 6 percent growth in the last one decade, he said it is the stability and it is the continuity that is helping Bangladesh push its economy. 

“You know about Bangladesh’s macroeconomic stability. So you know your investment is not at risk,” said the Foreign Affairs Adviser.   

He said foreign investors are coming in a big way because of a stable society. “…. We’ll continue to have the stable society. I can reassure [you] my friends here.”

Dr Rizvi said two things – empathy and sympathy – are dominating in Bangladesh-Australia relations are very much visible. “In any relation where these two elements exist, [the] rest is easy.”

He laid emphasis on making the relations stronger, deeper and better in the days to come, and take the relations to a higher level.

Over the years, Dr Rizvi mentioned, Australia has become the destination of the largest number of students from Bangladesh and the quality of education that Bangladeshis students receiving is truly remarkable. 

“Today, the fastest growing alumni are the Australian university graduates. They’re truly contributing to Bangladesh,” he said.

Business leaders from the FBCCI, other associations and members of other bilateral Chambers were also present.
 

Dhaka, Sep 15 (UNN)- Bangladesh Consulate General in Istanbul has made a presentation on ‘Bangladesh: A Socio-Economic Miracle’ to promote Bangladesh in Turkey.
 
The programme was held on Friday at Bakirkoy NGO Association Platform, an established NGO organisation in Turkey consisting of more than 20 NGOs working mainly on environment and developmental issues. 

Members of the NGOs, who are well known in their respective professional areas attended it, said a press release on Saturday. 

Highlighting basic facts of Bangladesh’s history, demography, society, economy and culture, Bangladesh Consul General Dr. Mohammad Monirul Islam briefed the audience about Bangladesh’s achievements and recognitions in the international theatre, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation, natural disaster management, environment and global warming, migration and women empowerment. 

He made a comparative study on various countries of South Asia in their developments on the socio-economic fronts. 

He also underlined the role and contributions of the NGOs in facilitating the country’s remarkable growth and progress.

Ahmet Coskunaydin, Chief Editor of Gunaydin International and board member of Turkish Economic Journalists Association, who recently visited Bangladesh, shared his experiences with the audience, underlining that he was impressed to see the warmth and hospitality of the people as well as cultural richness and natural beauty of Bangladesh. 

He pointed out the commonalities between Bangladesh and Turkey, adding that we should work towards realising the full potentials that Bangladesh and Turkey promise in their relationship. 

Abdullah Tan, President of Bakirkoy NGO Association Platform said in his welcome remarks that this type of event would certainly help bring the people of two countries closer by strengthening their mutual understanding and cooperation. 

He appreciated the Consulate General of Bangladesh for such event and expressed hope to continue collaborations in the days to come.

Dhaka, Sept 15 (UNB) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for greater leadership to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and address a shared vulnerability.

“I call for that same spirit of common cause and, especially, greater leadership as we strive to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and mobilise the ambitious climate action we so urgently need at this time,” he said.

The UN chief made the call in a message on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer that falls on September 16. 

Guterres said this has been a year of record-breaking heat around the world and it is also a pivotal time for climate action.

“As we address this threat, we can draw inspiration from the Montreal Protocol, a shining example of how the world can come together for people and planet,” he said.

The UN chief said when science showed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other substances were tearing a hole in the ozone layer that protects all life on earth, the world responded with determination and foresight by banning them. “Thanks to this global commitment, the ozone layer is expected to return to its 1980 levels by mid-century.”

“However, this work is not yet done. The landmark Kigali Amendment, which enters into force on 1 January 2019, sets its sights on hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful climate-warming gases still used in cooling systems,” Guterres said.

So far, 46 countries have ratified this new instrument and the UN chief called on all others to follow suit and show their commitment to a healthier planet. 

“I expect countries to demonstrate significant progress in implementing the Kigali Amendment at the Climate Summit I’m convening in September 2019,” he said.

For over three decades, Guterres said, the Montreal Protocol has done much more than shrink the ozone hole; it has shown the world how environmental governance can respond to science, and how countries can come together to address a shared vulnerability.