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Dhaka has sought enhanced US funding whereas it urged Washington to revive common system of desire (GSP) for Bangladeshi merchandise and to supply its Worldwide Growth Finance Company (DFC) funding for infrastructural improvement in Bangladesh.
The urges had been made throughout the 2nd Excessive-Stage Financial Session (HLEC) between Bangladesh and the US (US) held on Thursday on the US Division of State in Washington D.C, in line with a press launch, issued by Bangladesh mission in Washington, acquired in Dhaka on Friday.
Bangladesh Prime Minister’s personal trade and funding adviser Salman F. Rahman, MP, and US State Division Beneath Secretary for Financial Progress, Vitality, and the Setting Jose W. Fernandez co-chaired the daylong assembly.
The Bangladesh delegation included State Minister for Overseas Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, MP; Begum Shamsun Nahar, MP; M Shahidul Islam, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US, and different senior officers.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, Assistant US Commerce Consultant Christopher Wilson, Deputy Beneath Secretary for Worldwide Affairs, Division of Labour Thea Lee and different senior officers of the related US departments had been within the US facet.
In the course of the assembly, Adviser Rahman underscored business-to-business and people-to-people contacts as the important thing components for enhanced financial cooperation between the 2 nations.
He reiterated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s earlier provide of devoted Financial Zone for the US traders.
The adviser additionally inspired the US IT firms to put money into the Hello-Tech Parks profiting from the massive pool of freelancers in Bangladesh.
State Minister for Overseas Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said that continuity of coherent insurance policies below the visionary management of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the important thing to Bangladesh’s large socioeconomic progress throughout the previous 13 years.
Beneath Secretary Jose W. Fernandez applauded Bangladesh’s outstanding financial development and large success in COVID-19 vaccination.
Recognizing the progress made in Bangladesh’s labour sector, Fernandez proposed for a daily session mechanism to stay engaged on the labour points.
Within the 2nd session on the Labour points, ILO Nation Director in Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen made an impartial presentation on the progress Bangladesh made within the labour sector.
Employee’s rights Coordinator of the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) Laura Gutierrez, Solidarity Middle Govt Director Shawna Bader-Blau and Bangladesh labour consultant Kazi Rahima Akter attended this session.
Either side mentioned a variety of different points together with cooperation on local weather change, renewable vitality, maritime and blue economic system, COVID-19, tourism and hospitality and civil aviation.
Bangladesh facet talked about that the resumption of Dhaka-New York direct Biman flight is a precedence for the federal government and drew US consideration for expeditious motion on the matter.
They agreed to work in shut cooperation to renew the flight as early as attainable.
Bangladesh and the US sides agreed on the significance of enhanced people-to-people contact in strengthening bilateral relations.
On this regard, State Minister Alam drew the eye of the US facet to expedite visa processing for the scholars and the businessmen from Bangladesh.
Either side agreed to carry the third spherical of the session in 2023 in Dhaka at a mutually handy time.
A Joint Assertion was issued on the finish of the assembly which is as comply with –
Joint Assertion
1. Strengthening Enterprise/Business Engagement
The assembly contributors celebrated the sturdy and rising financial partnership between the US and Bangladesh, a spotlight of our 50 years of bilateral relations. The USA highlighted Bangladesh’s evident potential to be a regional chief in digital commerce and famous with appreciation steps taken by Bangladesh to undertake a clear regulatory setting to safe broad-based overseas funding in its bourgeoning digital economic system sector.
Bangladesh welcomed funding from U.S. corporations in Bangladesh, together with within the renewable vitality, telecommunications, and agricultural and meals processing sectors and to its financial zones. Bangladesh warmly welcomed a U.S. idea of a U.S.-Bangladesh Girls’s Council, which might improve girls’s employment, entrepreneurship, and entry to instructional alternatives in assist of a extra equitable future. Either side determined to coordinate extra on implementing current clear business insurance policies and constant enforcement of mental property rights in Bangladesh.
2. Labor
The USA acknowledged the Authorities of Bangladesh’s progress with respect to staff’ rights in Bangladesh in, for instance, instituting security reforms within the garment export sector, simplifying trade-union registration, creating publicly accessible trade-union database, institution of helplines to obtain complaints, digitalizing labor inspection and strengthening labor courts. The USA urged Bangladesh to take additional steps to stick to internationally acknowledged labor rights requirements, together with these developed by Bangladesh for its Worldwide Labor Group (ILO) highway map. Bangladesh expressed its dedication to swiftly go obligatory reforms and totally implement the 4 precedence areas of the ILO highway map. Bangladesh additionally expressed a dedication to handle different areas of labor reform together with enhancing staff’ rights to freedom of affiliation and collective bargaining in export processing zones (EPZs) and regularly in different sectors throughout Bangladesh’s economic system. Either side determined that the efficient implementation and enforcement of worldwide labor requirements might help the economies of each the nations recuperate from the pandemic, broaden financial good points, and unlock additional financial potential with different commerce companions by creating a horny enterprise setting.
Bangladesh expressed curiosity in receiving U.S. improvement finance from DFC for a variety of infrastructure alternatives. The USA affirmed it will contemplate Bangladesh’s request whereas emphasizing the necessity for Bangladesh to implement the ILO highway map.
3. Local weather/Vitality/Well being
The USA recommended Bangladesh on its admirable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangladesh has totally vaccinated over 76 p.c of its inhabitants and partially vaccinated over 99 p.c of the eligible inhabitants. Bangladesh expressed gratitude for the over 64 million vaccine doses the US donated, in partnership with COVAX, to assist Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts. The USA welcomed Bangladesh’s curiosity in the US developed COVID-19 Prioritized International Motion Plan for Enhanced Engagement in order that Bangladesh might share finest practices with the world on its efficient vaccination of its inhabitants and Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN).
The USA additionally highlighted Bangladesh’s function as a worldwide local weather chief. Either side emphasised the significance of delivering on and strengthening current commitments within the lead-up to COP 27. The USA inspired Bangladesh to think about becoming a member of the International Methane Pledge, urge main emitting nations to do extra on local weather initiatives, and proceed outlining adaptation priorities. Bangladesh welcomed USAID’s local weather assist, together with a overview of embankments to evaluate the feasibility of nature-based options to guard crucial biodiverse areas from degradation. Bangladesh inspired U.S. firms to put money into clear vitality to assist Bangladesh advance on its COP nationally decided contribution targets for local weather.
4. Infrastructure/Commerce
Each nations share a standard imaginative and prescient of a free, open, inclusive, peaceable, and safe Indo-Pacific area with shared prosperity for all. The USA briefed Bangladesh on the Indo-Pacific Financial Framework (IPEF), and Bangladesh welcomed further data on the availability chain resilience and decarbonization pillars of the IPEF. Bangladesh additionally sought U.S. technical help to sustainably discover its ocean assets and additional develop its blue economic system in pursuit of environmental safety and financial prosperity.
Bangladesh highlighted that re-starting continuous flights between New York Metropolis and Dhaka is a excessive precedence. Either side are dedicated to taking the subsequent steps to maneuver this ahead on the earliest.
Supply: BSS
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