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Business Insider Bangladesh

Newly-appointed IFAD regional director for Asia and Pacific visits Bangladesh

BI Report || BusinessInsider

Published: 13:09, 22 May 2022  
Newly-appointed IFAD regional director for Asia and Pacific visits Bangladesh

Newly appointed IFAD Regional Director, Reehana Rifat Raza, along with delegates from Rome, meets with project participants in Jashore district. Photo: Courtesy

Reehana Rifat Raza, the regional director for the Asia and Pacific division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was on a mission to Bangladesh this week -on her first official visit to the region since being appointed.

The purpose of the visit was to meet with government counterparts, key development partners, the IFAD team in Bangladesh and to visit ongoing projects in the field, said a press release.

In Dhaka, the IFAD delegation met with Amal Krishna Mandal, the Additional Secretary and Wing Chief, Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance.

She took the opportunity to personally praise the Government of Bangladesh for pledging US$2 million to IFAD’s 2022-2024 replenishment cycle. This is the highest amount that Bangladesh has pledged during its 42-year membership to the fund.

Raza visited activities implemented under IFAD’s Bangladesh portfolio, which is composed of eight ongoing projects with a total investment of US$1.25 billion, including IFAD financing of $475 million, making Bangladesh IFAD’s second-largest country programme overall.

“It is a priority for IFAD to invest in a country like Bangladesh that seeks to address development work in key thematic areas such as climate change, youth, gender, food security and nutrition in its current and future development goals,” said Raza.

She also commended the robust implementing capacity of national partners, which has been key to the success of the large and complex development portfolio.

“Bangladesh being the first country visited by the new Asia and the Pacific Regional Director clearly shows the importance of the long-standing and successful partnership between the Government of Bangladesh and IFAD,” said Arnoud Hameleers, IFAD country director of Bangladesh.

In a meeting with Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director, Bangladesh, Raza noted the ongoing partnership in increasing smallholders’ access to markets and boosting agricultural productivity in Bangladesh.

She also underscored the importance of sector-wide collaborative efforts to build long-term resilience to climate change and ensure food and nutrition security for all.

The IFAD delegation traveled to Jashore District to visit IFAD interventions implemented by Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) under the Promoting Agricultural Commercialization and Enterprises (PACE) project.

Nagad
Walton