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- Bangladesh Visit - Day One
The Rt Hon John Denham MP
Secretary of State
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government- View The Rt Hon John Denham's profile
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Bangladesh Visit - Day One
| Published | 4 January 2010 |
|---|---|
| Source | CLG website |
Communities Secretary John Denham is in Bangladesh on a three-day visit.
In just a few hours in Bangladesh it's become apparent, we don't hear enough about what is actually happening in Bangladesh. And given what I've seen and heard today we should.
It is a central reason why I've come here. To talk with people about the connections between our communities, to build on the understandings and shared values we have, as well as the important business and trade links. The Bangladesh economy is growing each year, estimated about 5-6 per cent, with trade worth an estimated £76m for Bangladesh and £843m for Britain.
It is a signal of the important role of British Bangladeshis in Britain and to the future of our country. But to return to where I began - the real Bangladesh.
Take my first meeting today, shortly after I'd touched down (though given the thick, dense, fog above Dhaka this morning I nearly didn't). Syed Ashraful Islam, my counterpart, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, was crystal clear. The role of women is integral to and a significant part of the development of Bangladesh and provides confidence in facing face future challenges.
This is true from the very top. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are both women. (I should perhaps note that the sub-continent has a history of female leaders notably in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India, and Bangladesh is no exception).
But as the Foreign Minister, Dipu Moni (a woman), outlined over the working lunch, women are in positions right across the body politic including the Deputy Leader of the House, the Home Office Minister, judges and a plethora of other roles and posts.
Traditional barriers are breaking down in employment, with sectors like construction, agriculture, and garment making now employing significant numbers of women. This is changing Bangladeshi society.
It will also shape the perception of Bangladesh and British Bangladeshis.
I took the opportunity to outline the changes taking place among the British Bangladesh community which once did worse in educational performance at school but is now better than across British pupils as a whole.
Ministers here are keen to learn lessons and further develop links between Britain and British schools (I'm due to visit a school on my third day to see this at first hand).
While schooling is one challenge, another is to lift the population, the seventh largest in the world, out of poverty. Growth will be key - and as I was told the increasing role of local government will help spur development locally.
What the agenda also covered was climate change. Given a quarter of the country could be submerged because of global warming, concern and the need for action is understandable.
The role of local government is important here too both to crisis management, helping those affected - but also leading the adaptations needed for the future. One such project outlined was to make all government buildings carbon neutral. It is a programme similar to ours - but the consequences of a failure to act are all to clear in Bangladesh.
The challenge of carbon change was a theme picked up by two journalists who interviewed me after my visit to Oxfam, where I was able to share the British government's commitment to tackling global climate change, including in taking forward the fund for developing countries. Bangladesh has been at the forefront of making the case of developing countries and I played tribute to the work of the Bangladeshi government.
These are not easy issues. The challenges are huge. They will not be solved overnight. But as Ashraful emphasised throughout our discussions the confidence to act is underpinned through the importance of Bangladesh as a secular democracy.
Tomorrow I will see the action taken place at first hand when I visit Sylhet, an area from which around 90 per cent of British Bangladeshis originate and crucial to an understanding of the links and relationships between our two countries.
Until then...
