US for greater political inclusion in Bangladesh
The United States said it kept pressing Bangladesh for greater political inclusion, without which, a more stable and prosperous future is put at risk.
Nisha Desai Biswal, US assistant secretary of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, said this while addressing a programme on US foreign policy in South Asia at Harvard University in Boston yesterday.
Appreciating Bangladesh for being on track to achieve its Millennium Development Goals related to child and maternal mortality, she said, “Bangladesh is the only country where we’re implementing all three of President Obama’s development initiatives – on health, food security, and climate change – and with US assistance. “.
In Bangladesh, over the past twenty years, USAID has contributed to a reduction in under-five mortality by 60 percent, she said.
Bangladesh has made significant progress in health, food security and economic opportunity for its citizens.
“And while the Rana Plaza and Tazreen factory fires focused world attention on the inadequate labour conditions, we have engaged, along with European partners, in an intense effort with labour, industry, civil society and government to have great improvements in the garment sector in Bangladesh,” she said.
The security cooperation of USA with Bangladesh has grown over the years, not only on the international peacekeeping front, where both countries are important contributors, but also on border security and counter terrorism, Biswal said.
She said the US government is particularly focused in supporting Bangladesh as it build its capacity to respond to natural and humanitarian disasters.
“In Bangladesh, US are helping prepare for cyclones and have built over 500 cyclone shelters since 2001. We recently transferred a US Coast Guard cutter to the Bangladeshi Navy which has already played a disaster response role,” she said.
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