Three newly appointed heads of the Partners in Population and Development (PPD) Secretariat, the World Food Programme (WFP) Bangladesh and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh presented their credentials to Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (18 June).
They are Professor Dr Joseph Akinkugbe Adelegan, executive director of the PPD Secretariat; Coco H Ushiyama, country representative of WFP Bangladesh; and Dr Laura Nicole Tomm-Bonde, chief of mission of IOM Bangladesh, according to a press release.
Welcoming the three representatives, the foreign minister underscored Bangladesh’s interest in deepening cooperation with their organisations across shared development and humanitarian priorities, and wished them success in their assignments.
All three newly appointed representatives congratulated the foreign minister on his election as president of the eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly.
They expressed appreciation for Bangladesh’s longstanding partnership with their respective organisations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation with the Government of Bangladesh in advancing shared priorities.
During the meeting with Adelegan, the foreign minister appreciated the important role of PPD in promoting reproductive health, family planning, maternal and child health.
He also expressed confidence that PPD would further strengthen its contribution to sustainable development and population-related initiatives.
In his meeting with Ushiyama, the foreign minister commended WFP’s longstanding partnership with Bangladesh in the areas of food security, nutrition, school feeding and humanitarian assistance.
He appreciated WFP’s continued support for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals and the affected host communities in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, and underscored the importance of sustained international support for the Rohingya response.
During the meeting with Tomm-Bonde, discussions focused on how Bangladesh and IOM could work more closely to strengthen public education and market-relevant skills for prospective migrants, improve data systems throughout the migration cycle, expand safe and regular pathways, and prevent irregular migration through awareness campaigns.
The foreign minister appreciated IOM’s contribution to the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, the humanitarian response for the Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, and assistance to Bangladeshi nationals stranded in crisis-affected countries.
Tomm-Bonde thanked the foreign minister for the warm reception and praised Bangladesh’s leadership in advancing safe, orderly and regular migration.
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