The High Commission of Bangladesh in Canberra has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cross Sector Development Partnerships Initiative (XSPI) on collaboration to complement the existing Australian government’s development assistance.
The purpose of the MoU is to identify potential project opportunities, ventures, and areas of collaboration of mutual interests and network with stakeholders through a process of non-binding consultation, according to a statement of the Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra.
Founding Chair of XSPI Dr Daniel F Evans and Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia Mohammad Sufiur Rahman signed the MoU on February 14.
Initially, four priority sectors — Ready-made Garments, Infrastructure, Energy and Power, Health, and Private Capital Investment — have been identified, the statement read.
At a workshop following the MoU signing, the parties agreed to commence collaboration on the four priority sectors, with the health sector focusing on dengue fever.
Also, a dialogue was commenced on the investment and financial services conference to be held this year.
XSPI is a recent Australian (non-government) initiative to increase the amount and impact of international development assistance in Asia and the Pacific through focused cross-sector collaboration between its five key sectors, contributing sectors, and national partners.
These sectors comprise Australia’s business, government, NGO/NFP, philanthropy/private capital, and academia/health/medical research sectors.
XSPI has identified Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea as the initial priority countries for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Melanesia, respectively.
The Bangladesh mission’s collaboration with XSPI will be purely consultative in nature and will create no financial implications and decision-making role in each other’s activities, the statement also read.
The MoU shall be valid for five years, it added.
