Rome Correspondent: Reporter David Beasley, Executive Director of the Rome-based World Food Program, praised its outstanding relationship with Bangladesh and its outstanding achievements in various fields over the past decade. He made the remarks while handing over the credentials to Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the WFP. The ceremony was held at the WFP headquarters on Tuesday (June 8) in a very warm and friendly atmosphere, maintaining social distance in the situation created by Covid.
Ambassador Ahsan sincerely thanked the Executive Director of the WFP for formally accepting him as the Permanent Representative of the WFP and for his high views on Bangladesh’s achievements. He praised the WFP’s executive director’s dynamic leadership in securing a record amount of international assistance in 2020, despite receiving the WFP’s Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 and the situation created by Covid.
Describing the WFP’s activities in Bangladesh as multi-dimensional, long-term and highly effective, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative briefed the Executive Director on the government’s financial support and direct involvement in the ‘School Feeding Program’ and ‘Fortified Rice’. He praised WFP’s unprecedented support and important role in the Rohingya issue and called on the Executive Director to put pressure on the Myanmar government through the WFP’s Executive Board to ensure the safe, secure and dignified repatriation of Rohingya people to their homeland. The WFP Executive Director mentioned that he had visited Bangladesh several times to observe the Rohingya situation and praised the responsible policy and extraordinary humanitarian compassion of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in providing all possible assistance to the Rohingya people, ignoring their own economic, environmental and security risks.
The WFP chief promised to work to make the international community aware of the Rohingya issue through the organisation’s executive board so as not to put any economic pressure on Bangladesh. The Ambassador and Permanent Representative visited the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya Camp in 2019 during the visit of the WFP Executive Board and later briefed the Board members on their experience. A. K. During Abdul Momen’s visit to Italy, he expressed his sincere gratitude to the WFP headquarters for taking the initiative to inform him and to the board members.
The Ambassador and Permanent Representative expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the preparation of the Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for Bangladesh for the period 2022-2026 and ensured the receipt of development assistance from development partners as promised in the implementation of the CSP and working more closely with the WFP. Requested.
Finally, Bangladesh and the WFP pledged to work together to tackle hunger and poverty in the days to come. Mr. Manas Mitra, Economic Counselor of the Embassy and Alternative Permanent Representative of the United Nations in Rome, and senior officials from the WFP were present on the occasion.
BP/SM
