DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 28 (IPS) – As Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emerged from a gathering in the course of the World Financial Discussion board (WEF), Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta got here ahead to greet him, an illustration of how warmly the worldwide leaders and dignitaries obtained the individual tasked with main the interim authorities.
Throughout his four-day tour, Yunus participated in at the very least 47 formal occasions on the WEF, together with with 4 heads of presidency or state, 4 minister-level dignitaries, ten heads or prime executives of UN or related organisations, 10 CEOs/high-level enterprise individuals, 9 WEF-organized programmes, eight media engagements and two different occasions.
Throughout the conferences, the Bangladesh interim authorities chief mentioned a variety of points: the Bangladesh financial system, the restoration of stolen cash, Bangladesh reform agendas, the Rohingya disaster, social enterprise and funding.
Throughout a dialogue with Klaus Schwab, govt chairman of the World Financial Discussion board, he described the method of rebuilding the nation, together with restoring legislation and order and the financial system and this concerned understanding the place the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had left the nation.
“After so many killings, the legislation and order state of affairs grew to become very important …The following factor you do is construct up the financial system once more; let the financial machine run … Instantly after that, I attempted to nominate a committee to organize a white paper so that they had been stocktaking… to know what we inherited from the earlier authorities.”
Yunus stated he was shocked by the sum of money laundered from the nation. “The estimated calculation was about USD 17 billion from the banking system that simply loaned that away.”
As well as, over- and under-invoicing and different authorized channels resulted in USD 16 billion per 12 months being shifted away—it was as if a twister had hit the financial system.
Yunus stated they wanted to safe the garment business.
It was additionally mandatory to revive belief within the judicial system the place individuals had disappeared and lots of, particularly the political opposition, had been charged with unspecified costs in the course of the 16 years of rule. Even Yunus himself was to be arrested, he advised Schwab.
Regardless of the problems, he was optimistic that the younger individuals had been the answer; nonetheless, the modifications wanted had been qualitative.
The younger era in Bangladesh was creating their very own world by way of entrepreneurship and expertise and needs to be consulted of their future—even allowed to vote at 16 quite than the normal 18 years of age.
“They’re smarter than another era due to the expertise they’ve. They (already) know what we’ll be instructing them right this moment. There’s nothing shocking for them.”
Resolve Rohingya Disaster
Included amongst world leaders Yunus met was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed eagerness to fulfill the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate.
Throughout the assembly, the 2 leaders mentioned the circumstances that led to the July rebellion in Bangladesh, Bangladesh’s relationship with its neighbours, the Rohingya disaster, and the safety state of affairs in Myanmar.
Resolving the Rohingya Disaster
Yunus sought Scholz’s cooperation in making a secure zone for Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine State beneath the supervision of the United Nations (UN).
Scholz agreed, saying, “You will be assured that we are going to assist you.”
In August 2017, the Myanmar military began an armed breakdown on Rohingya Muslim minorities in Rakhine State and compelled them to flee their properties and take shelter in Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosts over a million Rohingya refugees as of June 2024, in line with the UNHCR. The vast majority of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas dwell in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Throughout his go to to the WEF, Yunus additionally urged different world leaders to take fast actions to resolve the long-pending Rohingya disaster and create a conducive and secure surroundings in Myanmar in order that the displaced individuals might return to their residence of origin with dignity.
Calling for placing the worldwide focus again on the Rohingya disaster, he stated the brand new inflow of about 100,000 extra refugees has added additional burden on Bangladesh.
“The state of affairs is getting sophisticated. They’re pushing extra Rohingyas to Bangladesh,” the chief adviser stated throughout a gathering with UN Excessive Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on January 21.
Assuring that his company would assist Bangladesh to discover a sturdy resolution to the Rohingya disaster, Grandi stated, “We stand able to cooperate with you.”
Yunus additionally broached Grandi about internet hosting a significant world convention on the Rohingya later this 12 months, saying, “Your voice shall be extra important.”
Assist Dhaka Deliver Stolen Cash Again
Yunus additionally requested overseas buddies to return a whole bunch of billions of stolen {dollars} when he met world leaders in Davos, particularly the USD 16 billion that was laundered overseas annually from Bangladesh throughout Hasina’s 15-year “corrupt regime,” leaving the nation in a state of plunder and the financial system in a shambles.
Whereas holding conferences with them, the Bangladesh chief adviser referred to as upon the worldwide leaders to ship prime consultants, assume tanks, journalists, and worldwide companies to Bangladesh to dig into how a daylight theft was dedicated throughout Hasina’s regime.
Bangladesh knowledgeable the worldwide leaders of its efforts in recovering the laundered cash, mentioning that the interim authorities had shaped an Asset Restoration Committee and a job power to recuperate stolen belongings. In the meantime, the Bangladesh authorities has focused the highest 20 cash launderers initially to recuperate the stolen belongings.
At a gathering with European Central Financial institution president Christine Lagarde, Yunus requested for assist in recovering billions of {dollars} stolen from Bangladesh in the course of the earlier regime.
“Some USD 17 billion alone had been taken out from the nation’s banking system by oligarchs near the dictatorship, and USD 16 billion had been siphoned off yearly in the course of the 15 years of Hasina rule,” the chief adviser advised Lagarde. “It was an enormous freeway theft.”
Assuring that she would assist the Bangladesh authorities’s transfer to recuperate the stolen cash, Lagarde really helpful that Bangladesh must also search assist from the IMF to recuperate and produce the cash again residence.
World Leaders Assist Reform Agendas
After the autumn of Hasina’s regime, the Yunus-led interim authorities has taken main state reform initiatives to deliver again democracy and to carry free and truthful elections in Bangladesh.
Many leaders, together with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, World Financial institution Managing Director Anna Bjerde and former American Vice President Al Gore, vowed to assist Bangladesh’s reform programmes.
Gore expressed his assist for the nation’s reform initiatives and fixing Bangladesh’s establishments and its democratic transition by way of a free and truthful election.
Throughout WEF, Yunus held bilateral conferences with Germany’s Federal Minister for Particular Affairs Wolfgang Schmidt; King Philippe of Belgium; Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra; member of the Swiss Federal Council Ignazio Cassis; UN Secretary Common António Guterres; DRC President Felix Tshisekedi; former United States particular presidential envoy for local weather John Kerry; and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
On the sidelines, Yunus held conferences with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and Munich Safety Convention Chairman Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, amongst others.
“Chief Adviser Prof. Yunus’s tour to Davos was crucial. I might say it was a tour of historic achievement for Bangladesh,” the Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stated.
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