New Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to UN Agencies and other International Organizations in Vienna Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith will work on the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
He accepted the proposal from the Director General of the UNIDO, LI Yong, for the cooperation in the field of 4IR and informed him that Bangladesh has already started the implementation of the 4IR innovations under its ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Ambassador Muhith was presenting his credentials to the Director General at the UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday.
The 4IR is building on the third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. According to the World Economic Forum, it is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.
The first industrial revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production. The second used electric power to create mass production. The third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
While accepting the Credentials, the Director General of the UNIDO welcomed the Ambassador in Vienna and wished him success in discharging his responsibilities.
He also commended the active role of the previous Bangladesh Ambassador in strengthening the cooperation between Bangladesh and UNIDO and reiterated UNIDO’s strong commitment to support Bangladesh to reach the next level of industrial development, the foreign ministry said.
He “fondly” remembered his visit to Bangladesh and his “fruitful” meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other ministers.
The Director General appreciated the exemplary economic development of Bangladesh in recent years and offered all sorts of cooperation from UNIDO.
He also opined that Bangladesh can be included in the Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) of UNIDO and the existing Country Programme can be connected to the PCP.
Ambassador Muhith thanked the Director General for accepting the Credentials and appreciated his leadership to take UNIDO to a new height.
He also thanked the Director General for the existing excellent
relationship between Bangladesh and UNIDO and requested for extending the purview of the cooperation in the field of blue economy, climate change, waste management, food security, SDGs implementation as well as the issues on COVID-19 (challenges & opportunities).
The Ambassador also requested the Director General to give emphasis on the projects already identified under the Country Program which has greater catalytic impact on the economy.
He suggested the Director General to take waste management and waste to energy projects in Bangladesh involving the World Bank for financing.
The Ambassador thanked the Director General UNIDO for his continuous support to Bangladesh and expressed his desire to work closely with UNIDO in the coming days.
