UK development minister in Dhaka

UK International Development Minister Baroness Verma arrived in Dhaka today on a three-day visit to discuss with a range of people to support the Bangladesh’s commitment to the new global goals.

A Conservative member of the House of Lords, Baroness Verma was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development on May 13, 2015.

Diplomatic sources said the British High Commission in Dhaka refrained from making any prior announcement regarding the visit of Verma on security ground.

Britain’s commitment to achieving the Global Goals and working closely with Bangladesh was reaffirmed by UK International Development Minister Baroness Verma who arrived in Dhaka today, said a UK high commission press release.

During her visit, it said the minister will engage with local audience about the UK government’s priorities and how UK Aid can best support the Bangladesh government’s commitment to the new Global Goals.

The UK supports the Bangladesh government’s aim to eliminate extreme poverty in a decade and ensure that the process of inclusive growth leaves no one behind.

Besides meeting with high government ministers and officials, the UK minister will meet a range of people including the development partners, civil society, stakeholders and beneficiaries.

“I am delighted to visit Bangladesh. Our countries have a strong relationship built up over the years and I want to see that become even stronger as Bangladesh flourishes and leads its own development,” Baroness Verma said in her on arrival statement.

Over the next few days, Verma said that she wants to meet people who are benefitting from the UK’s support.

“As the biggest bilateral donor in Bangladesh, our aim is to work with the people of Bangladesh to help transform the lives of the poorest, most vulnerable and most marginalized,” she said adding “UK aid funded programmes in Bangladesh leave no one behind and it is crucial that we continue vital work on gender equality and women’s empowerment.”

Baroness Verma was born in Punjab, India, and moved to the UK with her parents when she was one-year-old. She lives in Leicester with her husband and has a daughter and a son.