‘Bangladesh in favour of responsible migration, protection of migrant’s rights’

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today said Bangladesh constantly advocates in favour of ethical recruitment and protection of migrant rights.

The state minister also said the country is an advocate for opening up of new legal pathways, responsible migration, decent work, lowering the costs of remittance sending, portability of earned benefits, diaspora engagements, and informed and sustainable voluntary return.

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He made the remarks during the adoption of Global Compact for Migration (GCM) at a programme titled ‘Regional Consultation of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) held at the Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka, according to a foreign ministry release.

Global Compact for Migration (GCM) is not an end in itself, rather, the beginning of a new responsibility, the junior minister said.

“I am happy that the UN Secretary General has appointed the distinguished Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh and Spain as co-facilitators to the intergovernmental consultations and negotiations to determine the modalities and organisational aspects of the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF).”

“Bangladesh reaffirms the crucial and continuing role the civil society and business community has to play in the implementation of the Compact. We have always believed in and practised partnership and consulted with all stakeholders to find solutions to problems and issues,” Shahriar Alam said.

Terming migration a complex, multi-dimensional global phenomenon, a true reality, and an in-built element of human behaviour that is surely here to stay, the state minister said, “Bangladesh believes in the protection of the rights of the migrants and, therefore, has been advocating for the appropriate governance of international migration.”

Recalling that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina articulated the idea of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in her address to the UNGA in 2016, he said, “Since then, our steadfast political commitment to and involvement in the process of developing Global Compact continued.”

The state minister said that Bangladesh looks at migration as an integral component of its development aspiration, adding that the role of remittance (around 15 billion USD per year) has been immense in national wealth creation and development.  

 “Bangladesh government is also mindful about the reintegration of returnees and their social and economic assimilation in the society through their meaningful engagement in nation building and backstopping their entrepreneurship potentials.”

Mentioning that Bangladesh has provided shelter to around 1.1 million displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar, he said that Bangladesh painfully recognises that cross-border forced displacement caused by violence, extremism and ultra-nationalism compounds the task ahead.

He stressed that closing the borders to stop the flow of immigrants is not the solution or safeguard to uphold countries’ sovereign authority.