insight

June 10, 2019 | Issue 222

NEWSLETTER

Bangladesh, Finland to work together on climate change: HPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits Finland

Bangladesh and Finland have agreed to work together on climate crisis. Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina and Finland’s Honourable President Sauli Niinisto reached the agreement at the latter’s official residence in Helsinki last week. During a recent four day visit to Finland, the Bangladesh Premier mentioned formation of Bangladesh Climate Resilience Fund with own resources to face the effects of climate change. She alsop informed the Finnish president about various measures, including creation of green belt along the coast of Bay of Bengal and employing volunteers to offset the impact of natural disasters like cyclone and tidal surge.

Help take Rohingya case to int’l court: HPM Sheikh Hasina urges OIC

Honoirable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina sought support from the OIC member states to launch the Rohingya case at the International Court of Justice with voluntary funding and technical help to ensure legal rights of the Rohingyas and address the question of accountability and justice. Mentioning that the Abu Dhabi Conference of OIC Foreign Ministers, held in March, created a pathway to move the court, she thanked Gambia for steering the process this far. The Bangladesh Premier was speaking on behalf of the Asia Group at the 14th OIC Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit titled “Hand in Hand Towards the Future” at the Safa Palace in Makkah.

Rohingya Issue: Modi pledges continued support for Bangladesh

Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) of India Narendra Modi assured that New Delhi’s cooperation in resolving the protracted Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh would continue for the sake of the regional peace and harmony. “We think Rohingya issue should be resolved on an urgent basis. So, we always speak about this in different international forums,” the Indian Premier told the Bangladesh president during a meeting took place last week. The Indian HPM said Rohingya issue was not a problem of Bangladesh alone, it was a serious threat to whole South Asia. Referring to longstanding and historical bilateral and friendly relations between the two countries, he said India and its people are always beside Bangladesh.

Remittance hits record in May

The month of May saw a record amount of remittance flow for a single month as expatriate Bangladeshis sent $1.75 billion to ensure that their loved ones back home can celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with more festivities. May’s receipts were up 22.43% from a year earlier and 16.64% from a month earlier, in a development that will give some breathing space to the country’s strained foreign exchange reserves. One of the reasons for the spike in remittance is that many banks are offering competitive rate to attract remitters with a view to strengthening their foreign exchange reserve. Besides, the exchange rate of taka has recently dropped against the US dollar, which has also encouraged remitters to send their hard-earned money through the legal channel.

Deal signed for export privileges to Eurasia

Bangladesh has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) to enjoy trade privileges and economic cooperation in the region. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a region like the European Union, is becoming a major export destination for Bangladesh, especially for the garment sector. It comprises five Eastern Europe and central Asian countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Since, there is no customs border among the EAEU nations, this region could be a good market for Bangladesh, according to media reports.

Bangladesh seeks climate justice, compensation in Berlin meet

Bangladesh has asked for climate justice to be established and demanded compensation and adequate financial and other assistance for adaptation measures. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam made the demand at the ‘Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2019’ last week. He said migration and relocation are options to consider for the persons displaced due to climate change. He called for more concrete global coordination and “insisted that the developed countries and the countries responsible for producing huge amount of greenhouse gases must triple their nationally determined commitments (NDCc) if we want to limit the rise of global temperature below 2 degree centigrade and preferably up to 1.5 degree centigrade”.

BANGLADESH AWAMI LEAGUE
23, Bangabandhu Avenue, Dhaka-1000. Bangladesh.

Join us on Facebook Follow us on Linkedin Follow us on G+ Follow us on Twitter