Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi held a series of bilateral meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.
On Monday, he met with UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan at her office to discuss UNCTAD’s role in thought leadership and agenda-setting at the intersection of trade and development.
Secretary-General Grynspan expressed her office's readiness to enhance cooperation and offer technical assistance to Bangladesh in its reform journey, including implementing the DMFAS platform and upgrading the ASYCUDA system used by Bangladesh Customs.
Special Envoy Siddiqi also met with Zhang Xiangchen, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization, on Tuesday. They discussed potential avenues to enhance South-South dialogue and WTO support to facilitate Bangladesh’s LDC graduation.
On Wednesday, Siddiqi held a meeting with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director-General Daren Tang.
They discussed the role of a developed SOAP ecosystem in attracting foreign investment and promoting diversified exports from Bangladesh. WIPO expressed readiness to support Bangladesh with effective technical cooperation for IP development.
Siddiqi was in Geneva as part of a delegation to the International Labour Organization (ILO), led by Law Adviser Asif Nazrul and Labour Adviser Asif Mahmud.
The group previously met with ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, who expressed support and optimism for Bangladesh’s reform agenda.