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Attracting more FDI is for Bangladesh, says Jeremy Bruer
Australia’s High Commissioner in Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer said Bangladesh and Australia will need to redouble their efforts to ensure that either country can take advantage of new investment and industry opportunities as the world begins from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In Australia and Bangladesh, the economic recovery will have an industrial sector,” he told UNB in an interview.
The High Commissioner, who in the past served as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, said it would be vital for Bangladesh to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) to help its economy adapt and grow.
In his first interview with a media outlet in Bangladesh, Bruer said Australia and Bangladesh were combining to identify sectors in which Australian corporations can invest, adding data and communications technologies (ICT) and e-commerce.
Beyond that, he said, there may also be opportunities in agribusiness, schooling and mining exploration.
“As either country faces the huge and demanding situation of leaving the pandemic, I need the strong ties between our two countries – in business and trade, education, culture, regional and multilateral for sustainable progression – to continue to develop,” he said. High Commissioner Bruer.
In response to a question, the Australian envoy said the Covid-19 pandemic had had a devastating effect on all countries.
But bilateral and inter-people ties between Australia and Bangladesh will continue, the envoy who presented his credentials to President Abdul Hamid on 20 February this year said.
The Australian envoy believes it will take time to perceive the full effect of the pandemic.
It will also take time to fully perceive the opportunities presented through the crisis, he said, adding that they will continue to seek tactics for bilateral dating through innovation and cooperation.
Australia, one of the first countries, and the first in the world evolved, to recognize Bangladesh’s independence.
To date, the High Commissioner said, between the two countries remain warm and mutually beneficial.
“We will partner in business and trade, education, culture, regional and multilateral for sustainable development.”
Development partnership
Australia has said it is committed to supporting Bangladesh by adding the pandemic.
“We have provided punctuality through our trusted partners, WFP, UNDP and Brac,” he said.
Bruer said Foreign Minister Marise Payne recently announced Australia’s new progression strategy, “Partnerships for Recovery,” to ensure that progression cooperation remains well placed to contribute to a stable, immensely rich and resilient Indo-Pacific after Covid-19.
The Australian envoy said Australia will continue to paint with Bangladesh the desire for progression in the areas of physical security, stability and economic recovery, with a focus on protecting the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.
RMG and forged reputation
High Commissioner Bruer said Bangladesh’s pr-a-porter (RMG) clothing sector, which has earned a strong global reputation over the past decade, has been affected by Covid-19.
The Australian government provided targeted assistance to Australian corporations Covid-19 to help their recovery, adding up to maintain foreign industry with countries like Bangladesh, he said.
“We sense that some Australian corporations have definitely worked with their suppliers in Bangladesh to succeed over the demanding mutual situations they have faced,” he said.
RMG’s export orders, valued at more than $1 billion, to countries were cancelled or blocked in the first months of the pandemic and exporters recovered some of the cancelled orders in the middle of negotiations.
Bangabandhu Centenary
Jeremy Bruer said he was very pleased that his tenure as High Commissioner of Australia coincided with some vital milestones in Bangladesh’s history and Australia-Bangladesh relations.
“Of course, this year we are celebrating the centenary of the birth of [Bangabandhu] Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the “father of the nation” of Bangladesh. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, followed in 2022 through 50 years of diplomat between Australia and Bangladesh,” he said.
Unfortunately, the envoy, the Covid-19 pandemic affected this year’s celebrations.
“But I look forward to mark those milestones when cases allow.”
Humanitarian support
Australia’s new High Commissioner has said he is committed to australia-Bangladesh’s partnership in the field of humanitarian action and disasters.
Australia has provided AUD 190 million since 2017 to Bangladesh’s host network and Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have relied on our existing humanitarian partnerships and provided more budget for Covid-19’s response,” he said.
For example, Bruer said, they supported the structure of insulation and rehabilitation facilities, the expansion of water, sanitation and hygiene services and the dissemination of fitness messages.
“We are also stepping up our efforts to cover women and girls, who face more Covid-19-related dangers.”
Bruer said they continue to meet the fundamental wishes of Rohingya refugees, such as food aid, shelter and nutrition through UN agencies, Brac and Australian NGOs (non-governmental organizations).
Person-to-person bonds
High Commissioner Bruer said interpersonal relations have been the basis of relations between Bangladesh and Australia.
From William Ouderland Bir Pratik, who made a significant contribution to the Bangladesh Liberation War and the only foreigner to win this important Bangladeshi award for bravery, to Richard Casey, former governor of Bengal and governor-general of Australia, The Australians have been part of history. Bengal and Bangladesh, he recalled.
Similarly, Bruer said, Bangladeshi are a vital and valuable component of Australia’s diverse society.
Human rights
Australia’s commitment to human rights is deeply entrenched and well established, the High Commissioner said. “We were signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.”
He said they were running bilaterally with countries, adding Bangladesh, to advance and human rights through progressive aid and humanitarian support.
The envoy said Australia committed itself to a strong multilateral human rights system.
As a member of the UN Human Rights Council (2018-2020), Bruer said they targeted freedom of expression, gender equality, governance, indigenous peoples’ rights and strong national human rights institutions and capacity building.
“We have also been guided by other basic objectives: the abolition of the death penalty, equivalent human rights for others of sex and gender, and freedom of faith and belief.”
International students
The High Commissioner said they are looking forward to welcoming foreign academics to their world-class educational establishments in a fun environment when their borders reopen.
On average, between 6,000 and 7,000 Bangladeshs examine a year in Australia.
“But it’s conceivable that more academics and young professionals in Bangladesh will gain advantages from Australian education and training,” Bruer said.
The envoy said he hoped Australian universities would expand even more powerful relationships with Bangladeshi government departments and institutions.
“We will continue to offer Australian scholarships for master’s degrees and short courses aimed at matters of precedence, such as foreign industry and women in charge,” she said.
Beautiful Bangladesh
Since his arrival in Bangladesh, the High Commissioner said he was deeply inspired by Bangladesh’s diverse communities and desirable history.
“I look forward to continuing to understand this beautiful country, its rich history and culture, and meet other people from all over the country, from all walks of life,” Bruer said.
The High Commissioner said he is looking to help Bangladeshi people become more informed about Australia. “This includes selling understanding of Australia’s diverse cultures, adding up our rich indigenous heritage.”
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8 / C, FR Tower, Panthapath, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh.
Kazi Anis Ahmed, editor