The interim government on Sunday sought support from the United States to bring about the reforms it had initiated in various sectors in a move to rebuild the country and bring back assets siphoned off allegedly by corrupt individuals during the past regime.
The chief adviser to the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, sought the assistance when a high-level US delegation led by assistant secretary for International Finance at the US Department of the Treasury Brent Neiman held a meeting with him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
鈥業t is a very important time for us and a significant moment in our history,鈥� Yunus told the six-member interagency economic delegation while speaking about the student-led mass uprising that had, according to him, ushered in a new era of hope in Bangladesh.
The US delegation also including assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu praised Professor Yunus鈥� leadership and said that Washington DC would be happy to support his reform agenda, according to a release of the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office.
US officials said that they were eager to extend technical and financial assistance for reforms being carried out by the interim government, said the release.
This was the first meeting of the high-level delegation from the US with the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led interim government formed on August 8, just three days after the August 5 fall of the autocratic Sheikh Hasina regime amid a student-led mass uprising.
Earlier on the day, the US delegation held separate meetings with the finance and commerce adviser Salehuddin Ahmed and foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the State Guest House Padma.
On the sideline of the meetings, the United States Agency for International Development committed to provide a grant of $202.25 million to Bangladesh for the three sectors鈥攇overnance, social, human and economic opportunity and resilience.
Economic Relations Division additional secretary AKM Shahabuddin and USAID Mission director Reed J Aeschliman signed the 6th amendment to the 鈥楾he Development Objective Grant Agreement鈥� to the effect.聽
Finance and commerce adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, assistant secretary for International Finance of the US Department of Treasury Neiman and US State Department assistant secretary for South and Central Asia Donald Lu, among others, witnessed the signing ceremony at Padma.
Describing the challenges the interim government was facing, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner said that his administration had moved quickly to 鈥榬eset, reform, and restart the country鈥檚 economy, initiate reforms in financial sectors, and fix institutions such as the judiciary and police.鈥�
Outlining the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government, Yunus said that six commissions had been set up barely weeks after his government took over in an effort to prevent vote rigging, reform the judiciary, police, civil administration, the country鈥檚 anti-graft agency, and amend the constitution.
He said that his government was committed to getting back the stolen assets siphoned off by corrupt individuals linked with the previous autocratic regime.
鈥榃e were in an ocean of corruption,鈥� Professor Yunus said, while describing the challenges the government was facing in tackling graft.
Issues relating to financial and economic reforms, investment, labour issues, the Rohingya crisis, and the chief adviser鈥檚 upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly were also discussed during the hour-long talks.
Brendan Lynch, assistant US Trade Representative, Anjali Kaur, deputy assistant administrator, Jerrod Mason, director of the US Treasury Department, represented the US in the meeting.
Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy of the chief adviser for international affairs, Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and the head of SDG affairs, Md Jashim Uddin, foreign secretary, and Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division, also attended the meeting at Jamuna.
Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said that they had discussed various issues during the meeting with the US delegation including representatives from the USAID and the US Treasury Department.
The reform in the financial sector and cooperation in the financial sector got priority, he told reporters after the meeting at Padma.
Responding to a question, the finance adviser said that they also discussed the repartition of stolen assets held by Bangladeshi citizens in the US.
After a bilateral meeting with the US delegation, foreign secretary Jashim Uddin said that the US side had iterated that they would work with the interim government and support its reform agenda.聽聽
The two sides discussed labour sector reforms, trade facilitation, the Rohingya crisis, and Bangladesh鈥檚 eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences in the US market.
Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said that the issue of bringing back siphoned off money had been raised in the meeting and it would be discussed further.聽
The government of Bangladesh and the US signed the 鈥楧evelopment Objective Grant Agreement鈥� in 2012 under which financial assistance worth around $1.5 billion was provided between 2012- 2021 in the areas of democracy/governance, economic growth, health/education, environment/energy and humanitarian assistance.
After that, on September 27, 2021, a new DOAG (2021-2026) was signed between the ERD of Bangladesh and USAID.
By implementing the current DOAG (2021-2026), USAID is committed to contributing $954 million, according to the ERD annual report for 2022-23.
The US delegation that arrived in Dhaka on September 14 is scheduled to leave Bangladesh today.
