FHM Humayan Kabir, from Nadi, Fiji
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The 52nd Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) ended here on Saturday with a pledge to accelerate the Bank's support to climate adaptation and ensure sustainable development.
The board of governors and alternate governors from member countries spoke on the last day of the four-day meeting.
A Bangladesh delegation, led by Financial Institutions Division's senior secretary Md Ashadul Islam, took part in the confab.
The members of the delegation sought extended ADB support for climate change adaptation and growth of private-sector to help Bangladesh in its graduation as a developing nation by 2021 and a developed one by 2041.
The Bangladesh team met the delegates from Bhutan, Finland and the United States and development partners like Kuwait Fund for Development and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
They also visited the vice-presidents of the ADB
on the sidelines of the event, Mr Islam disclosed.
The delegation also had attended an informal SAARC Finance Ministers' meeting held on May 02 last.
Mr Islam sought ADB's support for the untapped bond market, reforms in financial sector, private-sector development, digital economic development and climate funds for climate-resilient infrastructure.
At the meeting with the Kuwaiti team, both sides agreed to work closely in sectors of mutual interest, particularly in mass transport sector.
Meanwhile, the OFID made a strong commitment to continuing its ongoing financing in the communication sector of Bangladesh.
A Finish team also expressed their interest in collaborating with the Bangladesh private sectors for enhancing trade.
Mr Islam sought Finland's support to compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingya from Bangladesh.
The delegation also met a Bangladesh expatriate in Fiji on Saturday. Around 10 Bangladeshis attended an interactive session.
In another development, South Korea expressed its willingness to hold the 53rd ADB meeting in the city of Incheon in May 2020.
Some 2,000 delegates from government, private sector, civil society, multilateral and bilateral development partners and press from 68 countries attended the ADB gathering.