US Ambassador in Bangladesh Peter Haas on Tuesday has made it clear that Bangladesh has been deprived of the GSP and the US Development Finance Corporation funds due to his country’s concern over human rights, democracy, freedom of the press, and poor labour conditions here.
“We are also concerned about insufficient labour rights and poor working conditions in Bangladesh. These concerns, unfortunately, cost Bangladesh access to the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade benefit in 2013,” said the US envoy while addressing the DCAB talks organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Bangladesh in the city.
These issues are also causing Bangladesh to miss out on the US Development Finance Corporation, a massive source of investment capital from the United States, he added.
The envoy said, when it comes to democracy and human rights, the US has raised our concerns publicly and privately.
The US is concerned about press freedom, especially the Digital Security Act, and several draft laws and regulations that could inhibit press freedom, he noted.
“We are concerned about human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances".
“As I am sure you know, on December 10, 2021, Human Rights Day, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion and some of its officials based on credible evidence of serious human rights abuse” the US envoy mentioned.
He also said that the US wants to see a free and fair election in Bangladesh.
The role of an independent Election Commission, vigilant people and media are vital to hold a fair election of international standard, he added.
He said that in the upcoming economic dialogue in Washington, he will tell his bosses that the US should remain a steadfast partner to Bangladesh for the next fifty years as it has been over the past fifty years.
The US envoy brushed aside the idea that Bangladesh will fall into Chinese debt trap as its exposure to Chinese loans is much lesser than that of the World Bank, ADB and Japan.
Mr Haas said that Bangladesh’s external debt management is more prudent.
Terming Bangladesh’s successes as ‘real’ he said, “From a newborn country devastated by conflict, Bangladesh turned itself to a thriving country with one of the world’s fastest growing economies”.
In 1972, Bangladesh’s per capita income was $94 in today’s currency and now it is nearly $2,000, he mentioned adding that soon Bangladesh will graduate from Least Developed Country status.
It is steadily progressing towards becoming a middle-income country.
“These accomplishments are real, tangible, and truly extraordinary”.
On the Rohingya issue, he said the continued presence of more than 1.0 million Rohingya poses huge challenges.
“It is incumbent upon all of us to push Myanmar to create the conditions to allow a safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya refugees”.
“In the meantime, we must all work together to ensure that the Rohingya refugees do not become a lost generation”.
Terming the US as a formidable friend he said, since 1972, the United States has provided $8.0 billion in assistance to Bangladesh.
“We continue to invest around $200 million each year towards development programmes in health, agriculture, education, democracy and governance, climate change, and providing greater economic opportunities to the Bangladeshi people”.
“Members of the US military conduct exercises with the Bangladesh military to strengthen Bangladesh’s defence readiness, build operational interoperability, and reinforce the partnership between our military forces,” he said.
The US envoy pointed out that Bangladesh and the US are already moving away from a relationship based on assistance to one that emphasises mutually beneficial trade.
“I believe our greatest opportunity to deepen our relationship is in building our trade and investment relationship,” he said.
DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus presided over the meeting moderated by its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin.
