CUB celebrates 50 years of America-Bangladesh friendship

Canadian University of Bangladesh (CUB) celebrated 50 years of friendship between America and Bangladesh at its auditorium on March 6.

ICPC Foundation President Prof. Bill Poucher graced the program as the chief guest while CUB BOT Founder and Chairman Dr Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat chaired the program.

Abdul Monem Ltd. Chairman A. S. M. Mainuddin Monem, CID DG Barrister Mahbubur Rahman, BOT Executive Chairman Shahnul Hasan Khan delivered speeches in the program.

BOT Senior Adviser Prof. Dr HM Jahirul Haque and all department Heads of CUB were present in the program. Faculty members, senior officers, and students also took part in the program.

Prof. Poucher emphasised the need for concerted efforts to bring peace to the world. He said, "I will not be here to see what you are doing 50 years from now, but I do believe that the world you will create will be extraordinary. Never before have so many opportunities been the source of knowledge or the main force of the soul of any society."

"Be prepared for what you can do in life," he added. "Because that is the way to peace. And ask yourself every day before you start work – do I want to be happy? And work towards that goal."

Dr Nafeez said, "I am happy to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh-America friendship. In the last 50 years, innumerable ties have been formed between the people of Bangladesh and America. The generosity shown in tackling the Rohingya refugee crisis is an example to the world. The USA is the largest international donor of humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees. One of the priorities of the American Embassy is to work with Bangladesh for a long-lasting solution to the crisis."

He said, "Our economic partnership is growing every year. In 2019, bilateral trade reached a record 9 billion US dollars. The US is still the largest single export destination for Bangladeshi products and the largest source of foreign direct investment. American companies have built the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG) import facility in Bangladesh. They have helped in dredging the fast-flowing rivers of Bangladesh. It has provided the necessary technology to transform Bangladesh into a digital country and is currently providing world-class aircraft and vehicles to facilitate travel and trade." 

He also said, "We work together on climate change, peacekeeping, regional security, education and cultural exchanges, and more. The friendship between Bangladesh and the US is getting stronger and deeper every year."

Dr Nafeez thanked Prof. Poucher for visiting CUB. He hoped that the university would go far in future with the cooperation between Bangladesh and America.