Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said that steps have been taken for the greater welfare of the Bangladeshi expatriates living across the world and to enhance their dignity.
Speaking at an event as the chief guest, he said lower income expatriates’ contribution to remittance is much compared to educated individuals. “Our people send money for their families. For this reason, the government receives remittance. However, the remittance is not much.”
He also said, “Our remittance rate is notably low as a significant portion of our expatriates are unskilled. Merely one and a half percent of our expatriates in the Middle East are skilled. However, those with lower levels of education contribute more significantly in remittances compared to their educated counterparts.”
The minister was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the National Expatriates’ Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital on Saturday (December 30, 2023). Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed presided over the event, while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Expatriate Welfare Secretary Ahmed Munirus Salehin also spoke on the occasion.
The National Expatriates’ Day was observed in Bangladesh for the first time at the initiative of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment with the theme ‘Probashir Kalyan, Morzada-Amader Ongikar, Smart Bangladesh Goray Tarao Soman Ongshidar’.
The government last year decided to celebrate National Expatriates' Day further to encourage their involvement in the country's development.
In his speech, Dr AK Abdul Momen termed the Bangladeshi expatriates as the heroes behind the Bangladesh's development miracle. “They are our heroes. We must recognize them,” he said.
He also said remittances sent by the expatriate Bangladeshis are the major source of Bangladesh's foreign currency reserve.
Mentioning that Bangladesh ranks seventh in remittance earning, he pointed out that despite having a smaller population, countries like the Philippines ($38 billion) and Mexico ($61 billion) outpace Bangladesh in remittance earnings. India leads in remittance, surpassing all with a total of $112 billion, he added.
Regarding the issue of workers struggling to secure jobs abroad, Dr AK Abdul Momen said that the foreign ministry is not involved in recruitment processes. “Previously, the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) had communicated with the foreign ministry, emphasising the necessity to scrutinise demands from certain companies. However, recently they have not been informing the ministry regarding this matter,” he said.
Alleging that many Bangladeshis living abroad spread false information about the country, the minister said, “The country has developed due to peace and stability.
Expatriates often spread false information. I hope, in future, they will shed light on the positive developments taking place in the country.”
He called upon all to work together and ensure greater participation of Bangladeshi expatriates to achieve the target of building a Smart Bangladesh by 2041. “Let’s work together to build Sonar Bangla - Smart Bangladesh. We need to strengthen their (expatriates Bangladeshis) participation,” he said.
