Dhaka, Jan 24 – State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said Bangladesh has been working hard to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration worldwide under an effective and coherent governance structure.“The role of Bangladesh has been instrumental in spearheading the idea of a ‘Global Compact’ on migration,” he said.
Shahriar Alam was addressing a function marking the launch of a book titled ‘Untold Stories of Migrants: Dreams and Realities’ at Senate Bhaban, Dhaka University.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) brought out the publication.
Bangladesh was the first to make such proposal to the United Nations. This compact will be implemented in 2018 after two years thorough discussion by global stakeholders.
RMMRU has made the endeavour in collecting and presenting 150 migrants’ stories in a compilation format.
The story of a migrant’s life is never an ordinary one, said the State Minister mentioning that the book has aptly captured the great achievements of migrants and at the same time the pains and agonies they and their families endure. “There are narratives cited in the book that depict the successes, vulnerabilities more particularly in women migration,” he said.
Early last month, the 9th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) was hosted in Dhaka under Bangladesh’s chairmanship.
More than 1000 delegates from 125 countries, over 350 members of international civil society and representatives of 30 international organizations participated in this annual forum.
A set of key recommendations especially, on the governance of migration were arrived at 9th GFMD Summit.
Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, RMMRU Chair Dr Sumaiya Khair, Central Women’s University Vice-Chancellor Prof Perween Hasan, Prof Fakhrul Alam, Prof Tasneem Siddiqui were, among others, present at the programme. – UNB
