Let’s work for innovative solution to tackle Covid-19 pandemic: Momen urges NAM states

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has urged Non-Allied Movement (NAM) members to find innovative solutions and approaches to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Underscoring the challenges Bangladesh's economy is facing due to the pandemic, including in RMG and overseas jobs sectors, Momen said that the NAM response must be embedded in multilateralism and international solidarity through forging a robust global partnership with the G7, G20, OECD, and the UN.

The minister said this while addressing the online NAM Contact Group Summit today, said a foreign ministry statement.

Azerbaijan, the current chair of NAM, convened the online summit, presided over by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The summit, organised to formulate NAM's response to the Covid-19 crisis, was attended by heads of states and governments, foreign ministers and other dignitaries of NAM member states as well as high officials of the UN.

Momen also underlined that the international community must devise a clear strategy for the economic recovery of the vulnerable countries, with provision of short-medium-long term support from bilateral and multilateral development partners, alongside protecting migrant workers' jobs and ensuring flow of vital medical supplies, essential goods, services and food supply chains.

He hoped that the Covid-19 crisis would strengthen NAM's efforts and resolve to defeat the pandemic through meaningful global actions.

Mentioning that the Covid-19 had triggered an overwhelming global public health crisis for which the people across the world were barely prepared, Momen highlighted how Bangladesh has been coping with the pandemic under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina, who issued a 31-point directive seeking to mitigate the virus' impact on the population.

He also mentioned the Bangladesh government's step to allocate nearly US$ 11.6 billion to help the vulnerable people and businesses amid economic fallout due to the pandemic.