Bangladesh is set to enter into a new partnership framework agreement with the World Bank. A government delegation will meet with the World Bank within the next two to three weeks to finalize the terms of the agreement. While there are no issues with the core policy matters, how these will be finalized through discussions will be determined by a joint action plan.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury made these remarks to journalists on Friday afternoon in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group.
Earlier in the day, the Finance Minister held meetings with representatives from Bank of America, Google, IMF, Standard Chartered Bank, and Moody’s at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Discussions during these meetings covered Bangladesh’s overall situation, loan-related matters, and reforms in the financial sector, among other topics.
Regarding the meetings, the Finance Minister stated that the current year is extremely important for Bangladesh. International organizations are also aware of this. Considering this, various international development partners, including the World Bank, IMF, and Asian Development Bank (ADB), are working closely to support the country’s economic development and combat global crises.
Reiterating the commitment to implement the electoral manifesto and programs of the current government, elected by the people, the Finance Minister announced that a specific five-year development framework agreement is being prepared.
When asked about the speeches delivered at the plenary session of the World Bank President and the Managing Director (MD) of the IMF held in the morning, the Finance Minister said that in the context of the current global crisis, mutual cooperation and partnership are the greatest strengths for low-income countries. The heads of both organizations expressed hope that all development partners would continue their sincere support and joint efforts to meet the expectations of the people as a government and ensure the sustainable development of the country.
Source: BSS