Staff Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Bangladesh wants to maintain an open and transparent relationship with the World Bank.

She made the statement when World Bank Vice President for South Asia region, Martin Raiser, and newly appointed World Bank Country Director Abdoulae Seck called on her at her office.

PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said that the prime minister also requested the World Bank to take steps regarding the Russia-Ukraine war which is causing immense hardship across the globe.

World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Raiser, described Bangladesh as a “success” in terms of development.

“Bangladesh is one the countries which surprised the world, achieving impressive development,” he said.

Raiser also noted that Bangladesh experienced significant development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He lauded Bangladesh’s successes in disaster management, saying casualties in the country due to cyclones is now less due to its successful management capability.

Raiser mentioned that World Bank is working to ensure food security and is providing surplus foods to countries with deficits to meet their needs.

Raiser also proposed to celebrate World Bank-Bangladesh ties jointly on January 23 next year.

At the meeting, the PM said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu worked to ensure the basic rights of people including health, education and housing. Following his footprints, Sheikh Hasina said, her government continues working with short-, medium- and long-term programmes, while it has also undertaken the Delta Plan-2100.

She also put emphasis on strengthening connectivity to further accelerate development.

Speaking on climate change, the prime minister said, her government is working on adaptation and mitigation with the country’s own resources.

She mentioned that people of Bangladesh are hard-working and her government implements all plan to achieve the goals step by step.

In this regard, Sheikh Hasina said, MDGs were achieved successfully and now the government is working to implement the SDGs in time.

During the meeting, Raiser handed over a photograph of former World Bank President Robert Strange McNamara with the Father of the Nation at Ganabhaban, taken on January 31, 1972.

Ambassador at Large M Ziauddin, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus were present.