New US envoy to help BD face climate change

The newly appointed US ambassador to Bangladesh has said one of the many challenges facing the country was global climate change, reports bdnews24.com. "And this is one area that I commit myself to engage in," ambassador Dan Mozena said soon after his arrival in Dhaka Saturday. Mozena briefly spoke to the press with his wife, Grace, by his side at Dhaka airport around 12:30pm. He thought another challenge for Bangladesh was food security with the world population reaching seven billion, of whom some 155 million were in this country. Without delving into details, the diplomat who has been in the US foreign service for 30 years, also mentioned human rights and strengthening democratic institutions as challenges. The career diplomat was quick to say that while they are "well known, they are all resolvable". The Iowa-born 61-year old, who grew up in a family farm, promised to work together with Bangladesh in resolving them. "I could stand here in front of this microphone and speak for much of the day about the challenges that the United States is facing." Mozena said, like any other country, Bangladesh too had its own share of challenges. The new envoy said his priority would be to first acknowledge the tremendous progress that Bangladesh has made. He noted the country's average growth of over six per cent and added, "When I think of the millions of people lifted out of poverty, I am awed." Not having presented his credentials to the president, Mozena stopped short of elaborating on the political complications. Returning on a second tour of duty, US envoy said he, and his wife, were indeed very delighted and were eagerly looking forward to his assignment in Bangladesh. A foreign service officer of 30 years, Mozena began his address saying, "Grace and I are so very pleased and happy to be back in Bangladesh." The new ambassador, insisting that he be welcomed 'back' to Bangladesh when some of the journalists had welcomed him, proudly stated, "I am the first US ambassador to Bangladesh that is actually returning back, and I am very pleased to have that role." He mentioned his last tour of duty between 1998 and 2001 when the couple had travelled widely and made many friends take their roots 'deep' in this country. "So for us to return today as the United States ambassador to Bangladesh is truly a dream come true." Having arrived from his last job as a national security professor at the US National War College, preceded by an ambassadorship in Angola, Mozena said he would work as hard as he could, to know Bangladesh, 'so that America can better understand Bangladesh, and Bangladesh can better understand America'. The sixty-one year diplomat's second stint as ambassador is set to begin Thursday, when he would be presenting his credentials to president Zillur Rahman. "And after I have done that, I can really get to work and make good on the commitments I made here today."