Pro-active foreign policy sought

Participants at a roundtable titled “Future Direction of Bangladesh Foreign Policy ” organised by The Daily Star and the Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies held at The Daily Star conference room yesterday.Photo: STAR

Former ambassadors of the country yesterday stressed the need for a more proactive foreign policy replacing the existing one, which remains 'reactive' only to developments in other countries.
Criticising the neglect shown to matters of foreign affairs over the years, the former ambassadors urged for putting foreign policy in the centre of governance 'as done in the rest of the world'.
Over 20 former ambassadors, who represented Bangladesh to different countries over the past few decades, underscored the need for bringing changes to the foreign policy apparatus at a roundtable discussion yesterday.
The Daily Star and the Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies (C-Fas) jointly organised the roundtable titled 'Future Direction of Bangladesh Foreign Policy' in the newspaper's office yesterday.
Pointing out that the country's foreign policy is uncoordinated and sometimes managed by multiple ministries and agencies, the discussants stressed the need for coordination among all branches of government ministries and agencies headed by the foreign ministry, terming the move 'a precondition for an effective foreign policy'.
Promoting the country's national interest in a globalised world will not be possible without an efficient, effective and well-funded foreign policy infrastructure, the former ambassadors noted.
The discussants suggested further discussions on foreign policy matters at different levels of the society, including in universities, to address the existing disconnect between the people and policies.
The daylong roundtable had three separate sessions with C-Fas Chairman Ashfaqur Rahman delivering the welcome speech.
Stressing the need for crafting a foreign policy which will reflect the people's aspiration while addressing global issues, he asked whether the country's foreign policy has ever thought of reforms in the United Nations or in the regional framework.
Saying that solutions to domestic problems also require global solutions, he added, all should complement each other in facing challenges like terrorism and poverty alleviation.
Former ambassador Harun ur Rashid, while delivering the keynote on 'What is Foreign Policy? How it is formulated' in the first session, said the goal of foreign policy should be economic development and poverty alleviation.
Climate change, which is likely to affect 33 million people in the coastal belt of the country, should be taken seriously, he said adding, issues like food security, water resources, personal security, and development should be the pillars of modern foreign policy.
As the World Trade Organisation affects lives of the country's people, he suggested the government to restructure the foreign office to boost foreign trade and to attract investments, while creating opportunities for overseas employment for Bangladeshis in industrialised countries.
Suggesting taking advantage of the country's geographical location, he emphasised on regional cooperation among South and South East Asian countries for greater economic development.
While talking on 'Implementation of Foreign Policy -- Obstacles' during the second session, Rashed Ahmed said a lack of consensus among political parties, especially between the two major parties, on foreign issues, has been a major setback hindering development in foreign relations.
Citing a recent botched negotiation with Tata, he said a fear factor haunts Bangladesh in trade negotiations on investment issues. He suggested public debates on such issues before letting the counterparts know the country's position.
"Bangladesh is losing in many trade aspects just because of not taking up the issues on the table."
Talking on the importance of concentrating on economic diplomacy, the former ambassador said trade issues are likely to be marginalised if diplomats have to consider too much of political and protocol issues.
He proposed merging the External Relations Division with the foreign ministry and a stronger link with the Board of Investment, and recommended having strong cultural and external publicity wings at foreign missions for building 'a true and better image of the country abroad'.
Former ambassador Farooq Sobhan spoke on 'Bangladesh Foreign Policy --- The Way Forward' during the third session, strongly criticising the role of the ministries linked with the foreign ministry in foiling a move to reorganise the latter a few years ago.
Line ministries go ahead with their programmes and sign deals without informing each other or the foreign ministry, a practice not found in any other country of the world, he said.
Pointing out an absence of a truly professional diplomatic service, he said the best are not picked for foreign services.
Citing examples of developed and neighbouring countries, Farooq Sobhan said training is necessary at all levels of the service and not just at the entry level.
He also stressed the need for learning foreign languages, subject wise specialisation, and 'fast-tracking'.
Saying that Bangladesh's foreign policy is the weakest in terms of authority and influence, he asked for steps to strengthen it. He also emphasised the need for diplomats' salary hike.
Stressing the importance of integration with regional cooperation initiatives, he suggested addressing the relation with India 'as the country cannot afford the luxury to ignore it'.
Noting that creating jobs 15 years from now will be much harder, he said the foreign ministry should play a significant role in securing overseas jobs for Bangladeshis.
Pointing out that the foreign ministry gets very little help from sources outside the government, Serajul Islam said, "Within the government, the foreign ministry is in a situation where other ministries handle issues of foreign affairs with little coordination among themselves. It's like the hydra!"
Stressing the need for open and transparent discussions on foreign policy issues at different levels, Muhammad Zamir strongly criticised the lack of interest in performance within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing instances of foreign office representatives' absence at programmes where Bangladesh's interest was involved.
Anwar Hussain said foreign policies should be composed in ways that the country may take advantage of the opportunities offered by globalisation.
QAMA Rahim stressed the need for proper training of foreign service officials for dealing with international delegations.
Noting that discussions on foreign policies is usually limited to top offices, Nasim Firdaus urged for changing the mindset, instilling a sense of 'need to know' in the foreign ministry.
"Revitalising the foreign office is more important than reorganising it," she noted.
Mohammed Mohsin said the foreign office staff need to take proper preparations before attending any international meeting.
"We've never had a head of the government who had involvement in formulating foreign policy," Mahmud Hasan said.
Talking on training, Shahed Akhtar, principal of the Foreign Service Academy, said the academy is about bring in the directors of different ministries for a special training.
In his concluding remarks, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam urged the former ambassadors to raise public consciousness about the importance of the role of foreign policy, adding that their expertise will definitely benefit the country in achieving its goals.
Jamil Majid summarised the discussion after the sessions.
Serajul Islam moderated the first session while Shamim Ahmed, a former ambassador, and Shah Hossain Imam, associate editor of The Daily Star, moderated the second and third sessions respectively.
Former ambassadors Masum Ahmed Chowdhury, Masood Aziz, ABM Abdus Salam, Aminul Islam, Mohsin Ali Khan, Afsarul Qader, Abdullah Al Hasan, Shafiullah, and Abdur Rahim were also among the discussants.