Seventh and eighth sessions of the debriefing on the proposed budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 for Members of the Parliament (MPs) was held at the oath taking room of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban here today. In association with European Union (EU), DT Global and Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Budget Analysis and Monitoring Unit (BAMU) of the Parliament Secretariat organized the debriefing under the ‘Budget Help Desk 2023’, said a press release. Senior Secretary at the Parliament Secretariat KM Abdus Salam presided over the sessions while Project Director and Additional Secretary MA Kamal Billah conducted the sessions. Principal expert of the EU on parliamentary affairs Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem gave the welcome address at the event. Former cabinet secretary and incumbent BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) Professor Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan discussed the ‘Role of revenue and monetary policy in reducing income inequality’ while Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and Dhaka University School of Economics Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad discussed the ‘Domestic and global initiatives on Bangladesh’s climate change and disaster management’ at the sessions. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Estimates Md Abdus Shahid, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts Md Rustum Ali Faraji and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Undertakings ASM Feroz were present at the sessions as special guests. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, lawmakers Md Rezaul Karim Bablu, Nurunnabi Chowdhury, Manoranjan Shil Gopal, Ahmed Firoz Kabir, Tanvir S Joy, Narayon Chandra Chanda, Biren Sikder, Rumana Ali, Advocate Khodeza Nasreen, Gloria Jharna Sarker, Rowshan Ara Mannan, Aroma Dutta and Momota Hena Lovely were present at the events, among others. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has officially partnered with the Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The organiations today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at BSTI office to improve Bangladesh’s international standing and strengthen its institutional capacity and procedures for cross-border trade in agricultural and food products, said a press release.

The collaborative efforts seek to expand the variety, quantity, and value of agricultural exports while simultaneously reducing import time for agro-products.

During the MoU signing event, Md. Abdus Sattar, Director General, BSTI recognized the vibrant support of USDA BTF to transform BSTI into a smart organization in line with the government vision.

He emphasized that activities planned under the MoU will make BSTI equipped to contribute to the economic journey of Bangladesh.

This MoU will be a milestone and will set the stage for a promising future of enhanced trade facilitation in the agricultural sector, benefiting both local producers and international trading partners, he said.

Michael J Parr, Chief of Party of the USDA program, expressed his hope that this MoU will ease the process of implementing four pillars of trade facilitation that is transparency, harmonization, simplification and standardization and will significantly contribute to the economy of Bangladesh.

Fuad M Khalid Hossen, Deputy Chief of Party, BTF Project in his keynote presentation said that this partnership will focus on enhancing various aspects of quality assurance and regulatory practices which includes strengthening engagement in Codex, developing risk-based compliance management, improving laboratories and testing capacities, standardizing the halal certification process, developing capacity for mutual recognition agreements (MRA), activating the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry Point, and promoting initiatives by BSTI.

Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Project is a USDA-funded, demand-driven technical assistance project partnering with the Government of Bangladesh to implement the Category-C measures of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, which cover the trade of agricultural products.

The project aims to help Bangladesh expand cross-border trade in agricultural goods by addressing systemic constraints at Bangladeshi ports; simplifying and automating import and export processes; improving the capacity of government agencies, laboratories, and warehouses; and fostering private and public investment, especially in cold storage. These activities are designed primarily to help Bangladesh achieve five WTO-TFA Schedule C measures: Test Procedures, Risk Management, Perishable Goods, and WTO Notifications and Formalities.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha