Bangladesh an increasingly important strategic partner in Indo-Pacific region: UK

The Bangladesh-UK relationship is transitioning to a deeper economic, migration and security partnership, while helping to protect Bangladesh's development gains, said the British foreign ministry.

The UK's development offer in Bangladesh aligns with the UK government's Strategy for International Development (IDS) and government of Bangladesh's strategies and plans.

"Bangladesh is an increasingly important strategic partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific region and it is a key player in upholding the Rules-Based International System (RBIS)," said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in a policy paper on UK–Bangladesh development partnership.

The Strategy for International Development (IDS) places development at the heart of the UK's foreign policy.

It sets out a new approach to development, anchored in patient, long-term partnerships tailored to the needs of the countries.

This approach goes beyond aid and brings the combined power of the UK's global economic, scientific, security and diplomatic strengths to development partnerships.

The Country Development Partnership Summary details how the IDS and IR23 will be put into practice with Bangladesh.

The United Kingdom and Bangladesh have a long-standing partnership built on shared economic, security, development and people to people ties.

Despite this progress, Bangladesh faces a range of development challenges as it strives to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, said the British Foreign Ministry.

Decades of high growth and impressive human development gains in Bangladesh are set against governance and democracy challenges, said the policy paper.

To overcome these development challenges, the UK said, a number of key economic and policy reforms have been identified by both the government of Bangladesh and development partners.

"We will continue to prioritise areas where analysis shows this is key to systemic change, whether economic - promoting trade and investment, political - supporting peaceful politics or social - women's rights," said the UK government.

"We will use technical and diplomatic expertise to support long term economic reforms and boost investment," it added.

The UK has six strategic goals in Bangladesh.

Goal 1: Foreign policy and security

UK will develop and maintain a strong and productive network of contacts in Bangladesh to support a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region, that upholds the RBIS.

Goal 2: Democratic institutions and norms

UK will work with government, civil society, youth, political parties, and international partners to deliver this goal.

Goal 3: Women and girls and global health

UK will support government's efforts to help ensure Bangladesh has the systems, policies, and practices in place that educates and empowers its people, especially women and girls, to protect their rights, fulfil their potential, and live healthy lives.

Goal 4: Economic reform, trade and investment

UK will support Bangladesh to deliver key reforms to help it reach upper middle-income status whilst building a closer economic and investment partnership.

Goal 5: Climate change and environment

UK will ensure the partnership with Bangladesh delivers on climate change and environment commitments and contributes to the government's efforts for a more climate resilient, less-carbon-intensive, and cleaner Bangladesh.

Goal 6: Rohingya and disaster preparedness

UK will use its UN Security Council membership to continue to put pressure on Myanmar to resolve the crisis and call for accountability.