Banglapress Online:Today, in the Turkish city of Gebze, the inauguration ceremony of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was held. Dr. Faruk Ozlu, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology of Turkey, Dr. Mohammed Al-Sadi, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Yemen, Madam Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Madam Marianne Hagen, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway were present among others in the inauguration ceremony. With the establishment of the Technology Bank, the first Sustainable Development Goal, namely target 17.8, has now been realised. Hosted and generously supported by the government of Turkey, the Technology Bank is expected to boost the capacity of the LDCs in the areas of Science, Technology and Innovation. The governments of Norway, Bangladesh, Sudan and the Philippines have also made financial contribution towards the establishment of the Bank. At the inaugural ceremony, Ambassador Mr. Masud Bin Momen, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh in his capacity as the Global Coordinator of LDCs in New York spoke about the importance of the Technology Bank in bridging the technological gap between the LDCs and the countries with technological advancement. Referring to the commitment of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to build a ‘digital Bangladesh’, Ambassador Masud assured of the continued support of the government of Bangladesh towards operationalising the Technology Bank. He also emphasised on the need for continued resource mobilisation for the sustenance of the Technology Bank. Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey Mr. M. Allama Siddiki and Bangaladesh Consul General in Istanbul Mr. Mohammad Monirul Islam along with representatives of the other LDCs were also present on the occasion. Representatives of the United Nations offices based in Ankara and representatives of development partners also attended the ceremony.
