United News of Bangladesh

A group of UK parliamentarians under the banner of All Party Parliamentary Group called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his hotel here on Tuesday and discussed issues of mutual interest. Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Md Nazrul Islam and Bangladesh Ambassador to the UK Abida Islam, among others, were present. Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus held separate meetings with Wouter van Wersch, Executive Vice President of Airbus, and Charles Wyley, Executive Vice President of Menzies Aviation, and discussed issues of mutual interest. Airbus, Menzies Aviation executives meet Prof Yunus in London The meetings were held at his (Prof Yunus) place at residence (hotel) in London separately, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. The Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey also met Prof Yunus separately later today.  

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has called upon the UK parliamentarians to raise their voices at Westminster in favour of financing climate vulnerable nations such as Bangladesh, and advocate among G20 parliaments to arrest emissions and global warming. Shirin was delivering her speech as chief guest at the interactive dialogue "Bangladesh Rising" with British parliamentarians organised by the Bangladesh High Commission in London Wednesday. The speaker emphasised strengthening institutional collaboration between Bangladesh and the British parliamentarians – especially on strengthening parliamentary democracy and good governance, delivering on Agenda 2030, climate change, women empowerment and the protracted Rohingya crisis. She also highlighted that Bangladesh has been sheltering and protecting the 1.1 million Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar for five years now, and the only solution to the Rohingya crisis lies in the safe and sustainable return of the persecuted Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar. Shirin urged the British parliamentarians to play a leading role globally in resolving the crisis. The speaker also highlighted the contributions of the four British-Bangladeshi parliamentarians and one House of Lords member of Bangladeshi origin in strengthening Bangladesh-UK friendship.   She invited all the MPs and the members of the House of Lords to visit Bangladesh during the historic 50 years of Bangladesh-UK diplomatic relations. The dialogue, chaired and moderated by Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem, was attended by prominent British parliamentarians, including Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, Lord Evans of Watford, member of the House of Lords Committee on SME, Baroness Thornton, shadow spokesperson (equalities and women's issues), Baroness Manzila Pola Uddin, the first British-Bangladeshi peer at the House of Lords, Stephen Twigg, secretary general of the CPA, and Sam Tarry MP, former shadow minister for transport. Read: Speaker for intensified inter-parliamentary communication to share experiences