Foreign-Affairs
S Korean envoy Lee for diversifying collaboration with Bangladesh
Speakers at a virtual dialogue, hosted by Cosmos Foundation, have laid emphasis on having a broader collaboration between Bangladesh and South Korea focusing on a number of new areas from technology transfer to virtual marketplace, fashion, startups and innovation as Korea eyes more success stories with Bangladesh going beyond RMG.
“We need to move beyond RMG and diversify collaboration between the two countries,” said South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun while delivering his keynote address at the dialogue that premiered on Thursday.
Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue titled “Bangladesh South Korea Relations: Prognosis for the Future” as part of its ongoing Ambassadors' Lecture Series.
Korea seeks deeper engagement with Bangladesh with focus on young generation
South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun has said his country wants to take the “strong relations” with Bangladesh to a new height engaging deeply in every potential area giving much focus on the young generation in terms of cooperation and collaboration. “The Golden Jubilee of diplomatic relations in 2023 would be a significant momentum for the two countries to take the strong ties to a new height,” he said, mentioning that the two countries now need to diversify the areas of cooperation. He was delivering the keynote address at a webinar hosted by the Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, at its Ambassadors’ Lecture Series Dialogue premiered on Thursday. The topic for discussion was "Bangladesh-South Korea Relations: Prognosis for the Future." Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation, earlier made the inaugural remarks.
France to provide €330mn for Bangladesh’s development projects
The development agency of France will provide €330 million for the implementation of development projects in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and France have signed three agreements in this regard.
Of the € 330 million, Agency France Development (AFD), a development bank and cooperation agency, will provide € 200 million for budget support due to Covid-19 pandemic and the rest €130 million for the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project, which is already under implementation.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Fatima Yasmin said this while briefing the media here on Wednesday.
Read: Dhaka, Paris committed to stepping up cooperation in defence; LoI signed
With the € 330 million, AFD’s total support to Bangladesh exceeded €1 billion as it earlier provided € 800 million, she said.
In South Asia, the AFD provides the largest amount of assistance to Bangladesh, she added.
The ERD secretary said they will sign a host country agreement with them in the coming days as discussions to this end are at the final stage.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Mokammel Hossain said Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority has signed an agreement with France Civil Aviation Authority to strengthen the cooperation for knowledge sharing and training for its employees.
Besides, he said, it also helps organise various events like aviation safety which is progressing well in Bangladesh’s civil aviation.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were, among others, present.
Read: Hasina invites French entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in France on November 9 on a state visit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. She is leading a high-level Bangladesh delegation.
France firmly with Bangladesh over Rohingya issue: FM Momen
French leaders have assured Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that France is firmly with Bangladesh in finding a permanent solution to the protracted Rohingya issue, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
“We’ll firmly remain beside you (Bangladesh) so that this crisis could end with a permanent solution,” the Foreign Minister quoted the French leaders as saying.
He said this while briefing reporters here about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent talks with various high-profile leaders of France, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex.
The Foreign Minister said the Rohingya issue came up prominently during the meetings with all the French leaders, especially the French President.
Read: Speakers call for mounting int'l pressure on Myanmar to resolve Rohingya crisis
During the meetings, the French leaders were informed by the Bangladesh side that the country was trying to have a permanent solution to the crisis through various channels.
“We’ve been trying bilaterally, trilaterally and multilaterally. Even we went to the International Criminal Court,” said Foreign Minister Momen.
He mentioned that the problem was created by Myanmar and the solution also lies with them.
After the recent military coup in Myanmar, he said, Bangladesh did not have any direct discussion with its military rulers.
“We have told them (French leaders) that the western world still continues their businesses with them (Myanmar). They need to stop it in a bid to create pressure on them,” he said.
The French leaders, however, wanted to know whether this is possible to advance the dialogue for repatriation during the military government.
“We have told them that there were military governments in Myanmar in the 70s and the 90s when they had repatriated Rohingyas from Bangladesh,” he said.
Read: EU to remain “steadfast partner” of Bangladesh on Rohingya front: Envoy
The Foreign Minister said some 253,000 Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh in 1992 and 236,000 of them went back through dialogue and discussions. The same thing happened in the 1970s, Momen added.
“We have informed them (France) that there was no conflict in Rakhine state in the last four years. There’s no violence there. So, it’s the right time for the repatriation of Rohingyas,” he said, adding that the French top leaders were apprised that Bangladesh has good relations with its neighbours.
Dr Momen said Myanmar had agreed to take the Rohingyas back.
“They had said they would provide guaranteed safety and security. They had also agreed to create a conducive environment for their dignified return. But they’re implementing nothing,” he said.
As the French leaders asked Bangladesh whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) had been informed, the Foreign Minister said, “Yes, we’ve informed Asean. They (France) said they’ve talked to Asean. They asked Asean to take a strong step.”
Asean is slow and it cannot say anything on internal issues of any member country, the Bangladesh side said. “There was a long discussion (with French leaders on the Rohingya issue).”
Read: Dhaka shares with Paris security risks from Rohingya crisis
Dr Momen said Bangladesh told the French leaders to take the issue at the security council.
PM’s Press secretary Ihsanul Karim was, among others, present at the briefing.
'Bangladesh a compelling case for UK investors'
The UK is already the second-largest investor in Bangladesh, but there is vast potential to do more, Mohammad Sirazul Islam, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), said recently.
"Bangladesh's liberalised investment policies and concessions encourage foreign investment. Our government is keen on facilitating more investments from the UK, which is a strong partner in our progress," Sirazul added.
He was addressing the "Showcase Bangladesh 2021: Bangladesh-UK Investment Summit," recently where public and private sector leaders of Bangladesh and the UK came together to discuss the many win-win propositions that can take UK-Bangladesh trade and investment relations to new heights.
The event was jointly organised by Standard Chartered and BIDA and took place in London on November 4.
The speakers made the case for greater engagement for UK investors in Bangladesh, one of the world's fastest-growing economies, hoping that foreign direct investment and international technical collaboration will greatly accelerate the attainment of the country's sustainable development plans.
"Bangladesh's growth in nominal GDP in the first 36 years since independence has trebled in a third of the time, over the last 12 years," Naser Ezaz Bijoy, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said.
"Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the country achieved one of the highest economic growth rates in the world, thanks to judicious policy intervention by the government and the resiliency of the people," he added.
"The country is expected to maintain a growth trajectory that will enable GDP to exceed economies like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark and others. This is the right time to invest in Bangladesh, which I believe is the 'Best Kept Secret of Asia'."
Daughter takes Bangabandhu’s legacy to global stage
To cap Bangladesh's golden decade of development marking an amazing turnaround story, the government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has introduced a global award with UNESCO to recognize contributions to "Creative Economy".
The award takes the Bangladesh success story to the global stage and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to hand over the prize at a ceremony in Paris on Thursday.
The Prime Minister will also deliver her remarks before announcing the winner's name and handing over the prize.
PM Hasina's presence at the first award-giving ceremony coincides with the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's Independence.
Audrey Azoulay, who was re-elected on Tuesday to the post of Director-General of UNESCO with the massive support of the Organization’s 193 Member States, will deliver welcome remarks at the function.
MoTIV, a Uganda-based integrated creative studio was named the winner of the first edition of the “UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy,” an official told UNB.
The laureate was selected by Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, on the recommendation of an international jury established for the prize.
The US $50,000 Prize is awarded on a biennial basis, initially for three iterations of the Prize. The first award ceremony will be held on the occasion of UNESCO’s 41st General Conference and subsequent award ceremonies will be held on the occasion of the Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
“UNESCO agreeing to institute the prize at the initiative of the Bangladesh government is significant. It rips apart the narrative of Hasina's detractors that much of Bangladesh's development claims are hot air," said Sukharanjan Dasgupta, who has followed the Bangladesh story since the 1971 Liberation War.
Dasgupta, known for his book " Midnight Massacre" on the 1975 Bangladesh coup, says Hasina as Prime Minister has turned her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's " Sonar Bangla" (Golden Bengal) dream into a reality.
Now getting UNESCO to jointly institute a prize for Creative Economy in her father's name is something that will make all Bangladeshis proud, he said.
The BBC recently hailed Hasina as one of the top five global influential dealmakers at COP26 Summit at Glasgow and dubbed her as the "voice of the vulnerable". Then she received a warm welcome on her arrival in France.
In September, Hasina addressed the biggest gathering of world leaders at the recently held UN general assembly in Bangla, following the legacy of her father who had delivered his first UNGA speech on September 25, 1974 in Bangla.
Twenty-five years later, his daughter Sheikh Hasina, during her first tenure as the premier back in 1996, moved UNESCO, in 1999, to secure recognition for February 21 as International Mother Language Day.
Bangabandhu secured global recognition for Bangla, currently the sixth most spoken language in the world and his daughter secured institutional recognition for Bangla, the only language to have produced a Nobel laureate in literature in South Asia.
Bangabandhu's UNGA speech not only announced the birth of a new nation but one based on linguistic and cultural identity rather than religion.
Much of Bangladesh's turnaround economic success from a “basket case” (Kissinger) to an 'emerging Asian Tiger' owes to anchoring the young nation-state on secular Bengali linguistic and cultural identity during Hasina's second tenure in power (Jan 2009 onwards).
BBC credited Prime Minister Hasina with "putting a human face to the challenge of climate change".
Columnist Ajoy Dasgupta says Hasina's success in creating an alternate model of governance focused on inclusive growth is also "rooted in the strength of Bengali culture" which prioritises humanism over religious radicalism.
Two decades of military rule following the 1975 coup had derailed the values of the 1971 Liberation War but Hasina finally managed to restore that after assuming power in January 2009, he said.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said the UNESCO-Bangabandhu award will help spread the ideology of Bangabandhu globally with further internationalisation of his work, life and achievements.
"Bangladesh and Bangabandhu are one and unique which was reflected in the name of the award. This award will play a role in branding Bangladesh and boosting its image globally," he said.
“We all are very proud that a UN Agency has introduced an award in the name of Bangabandhu for the first time,” Dr Momen said.
Winner MoTV
The purpose of the UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Prize is to recognise and reward exceptional initiatives of an individual, institution, an entity or non-governmental organization which/who, devised and delivered innovative projects or programmes that promote youth entrepreneurship in the area of creative economy.
MoTIV was selected among 69 nominations submitted for the creative economy prize and will receive $50,000 USD in recognition of its innovative work to promote youth entrepreneurship in the creative economy.
Located in Kampala, Uganda, MoTIV is an integrated creative studio that fosters collaboration in an impactful and sustainable way through providing tools and training.
It works across different domains such as product and fashion design, helping entrepreneurs to refine and scale up their businesses. MoTIV has a design academy that provides learning opportunities for young innovators, designers, and business owners.
The students are also paired with MoTIV mentors with professional experience who can provide guidance and best techniques and practices for their respective fields.
The design community also has a very strong commitment to gender equality. The target engagement of women in each of MoTIV’s projects is 70%.
Japanese envoy Naoki highlights peace, prosperity in Indo-Pacific
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has emphasised the engagement of his country in realising the prosperity of Bangladesh and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
He emphasised the importance of realising Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), a vision to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Read: ‘Read Japan’ to promote Japan in Bangladesh: Envoy
The ambassador delivered the lecture "Contemporary Japan: Its Foreign Policy, Security and Development Strategy" as a guest speaker of the National Defence Course 2021 at the National Defence College (NDC), Bangladesh Wednesday.
Nearly 240 mn children with disabilities around world: UNICEF
The number of children with disabilities globally is estimated at almost 240 million, according to a new UNICEF report.
Children with disabilities are disadvantaged compared to children without disabilities on most measures of child well-being, the report says on Wednesday.
Read: Covid-19 puts future of 37 mn children in Bangladesh at risk: UNICEF, UNESCO
“This new research confirms what we already knew: Children with disabilities face multiple and often compounding challenges in realizing their rights,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
“From access to education, to being read to at home; children with disabilities are less likely to be included or heard on almost every measure. All too often, children with disabilities are simply being left behind.”
The report includes internationally comparable data from 42 countries and covers more than 60 indicators of child well-being – from nutrition and health, to access to water and sanitation, protection from violence and exploitation, and education.
These indicators are disaggregated by functional difficulty type and severity, child’s sex, economic status, and country.
The report makes clear the barriers children with disabilities face to participating fully in their societies and how this often translates to negative health and social outcomes.
Read: Covid-19 put future of 800 mn children across Asia at risk: UNICEF, UNESCO
“Inclusive education cannot be considered a luxury. For far too long, children with disabilities have been excluded from society in a way that no child ever should be. My lived experience as a woman with disabilities supports that statement,” says Maria Alexandrova, 20, a UNICEF youth advocate for inclusive education from Bulgaria.
“No child, especially the most vulnerable, should have to fight for their basic human rights alone. We need governments, stakeholders and NGOs to ensure children with disabilities have equal, inclusive access to education.”
Artworks of ARTivism competition winners from Bangladesh on display at COP26
Two ARTivism competition winners from Bangladesh and one from Rohingya refugee community in Cox’s Bazar are among 17 prize winners in an Asia-wide climate art competition, whose artworks are on display at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
The competition in Asia region, organized by Save the Children, asked children to express their climate crisis concerns and solutions through art.
Read: COP26: Time running out in Glasgow, as delegates wrangle over details
Finalists in the regional competition were shortlisted from national competitions in eight Asian countries and two refugee communities.
In Bangladesh, the competition was jointly arranged by Save the Children in Bangladesh and Kishor Alo.
UK announces £120mn for Bangladesh to scale up climate action
COP26 President Alok Sharma has announced £120 million to support climate action in Bangladesh.
The £120million new programme for Bangladesh, from 2021 to 2027, will scale up locally-led adaptation, expand renewable energy, tackle pollution and waste, and develop and empower the next generation of climate leaders.
Read: Bangladesh going for green energy to mitigate climate change impact: Minister
The funding for the Bangladesh Climate and Environment Programme will help build resilience, prevent pollution, protect biodiversity, strengthen renewable energy and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s access to finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.
He also announced how £165 million of UK funding will tackle climate change, including by addressing the gender inequalities that make women and girls more vulnerable to climate change, and by empowering women and girls to be leaders in climate action.
Speaking from COP26 in Glasgow, Alok Sharma said gender and climate are profoundly intertwined.
“We see that in terms of the impact of climate change, which affects women and girls disproportionately. And we see it in terms of tackling climate change, where we know our efforts are more effective when women and girls are at their hearts.”
Read: 'Funds hardly reach climate-vulnerable people'
He said they are committed to women’s participation at every level of climate action and to placing gender at the heart of all our efforts. This is why gender cuts across the full COP fortnight. “And it’s why we’re hosting Gender Day today.”
Through its COP26 Presidency, the UK has been urging countries to put gender equalities at the heart of climate action, and on Gender Day convened ministers and other actors to discuss new action to tackle gender and climate change.