Outgoing US Ambassador Dan W Mozena said Sunday that partnership between US and Bangladesh truly strengthens each day.
"Perhaps, you think that I am merely chanting diplomatic niceties….such is not the case…America's partnership with Bangladesh truly strengthens each day," he said while speaking at the farewell luncheon programme organised by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Bangladesh.
AmCham organized the programme to bid farewell to the outgoing US Ambassador in Bangladesh at a city hotel. AmCham President Aftabul Islam and AmCham Treasurer Hasan Mazumder were present at the programme.
Dan W Mozena said this partnership between two countries was institutionalized with the establishment of the annual Partnership Dialogue during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2012 visit to Bangladesh.
"We held the third annual Partnership Dialogue in Washington six weeks ago, and it was a powerful success in reviewing and assessing the partnership and in charting the course forward. We also held this year for the third time both the Security Dialogue and Bilateral Defence Dialogue; in April, we held the first annual Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement ... TICFA ... discussions." He said.
The envoy said all of these encounters energized, redirected and focused US-Bangladesh partnership.
The US Ambassador said the partnership has helped put Bangladesh on a trajectory to achieve its Millennium Development Goals by already slashing maternal mortality by over 60 per cent and child-under-five mortality by nearly two-thirds.
He said the partnership has also helped enable Bangladeshis to have the family size they want, which has reduced the fertility rate from 6.3 live births per woman in 1971 to around 2.2 today. Further reductions could take the rate to replacement level of 2.1 live births next year.
"Bangladesh is on a path to make global history as the first major emerging country to voluntarily achieve replacement level fertility. Record books will need to be rewritten to reflect this great achievement," he said.
He said, "Our partnership has also introduced more than 370,000 farmers to new, improved seed varieties. The partnership has successfully promoted mechanization of agriculture. Over 90 percent of tillage is now mechanized, so land no longer lies fallow for want of labour to plow the fields."
"The partnership continues to yield great results in enhancing the nation's security. Our two nations cooperate closely to confront the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, which threatens us both," he said adding that the partnership enabled the Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Coast Guard, and the Border Guard of Bangladesh to better secure the nation's maritime and land borders. The US envoy said Bangladesh has four wings to be developed as the economic tiger in the region. They are apparel industry, finished leather, generic pharmaceuticals and information technology
He said in the wake of the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashions disasters, Bangladesh now has an unprecedented opportunity to take this industry to global standards in terms of fire safety, factory structural soundness, and respect for workers' rights to freely associate and organize.
"It is for Bangladesh to seize this opportunity by giving dynamic leadership to this transformation process, particularly respecting the rights of the workers, so Brand Bangladesh becomes a Premium Brand, a Preferred Brand, the Best Brand, the Biggest Brand in the global apparel market," he said.
About the leather products prospects he said, "Two weeks ago I did a digital video conference with leaders of America's tanning, leather and shoe industries, and they are keenly interested in connecting to Bangladesh in many ways: providing equipment and supplies to the new tanneries coming up in Savar, exporting massive quantities of high-grade American hides and sourcing shoes and leather products from Bangladesh."
He said Bangladeshi generic pharmaceuticals will begin to trickle into the American market before the end of next year.
"I believe, too, that this trickle will become a flood as Bangladesh ramps up to become a major supplier to the American pharmaceutical market. In my old age, I will be nursing my health with made-in-Bangladesh drugs."
He said Bangladesh can provide quality software at about 60 per cent of the cost elsewhere. The owner of one software company here in Dhaka told me that he has enough interest from American software buyers to ramp his business up to 1000 employees due to Bangladesh's competitiveness.
Aftabul Islam said Bangladesh will miss US Ambassador Dan W Mozena as the friend, not a bureaucrat of the United States.
bdsmile@gmail.com
