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BGMEA, the apex body in the apparel sector, and Swisscontact have joined forces to drive sustainable and inclusive transformation in the country's readymade (RMG) sector.
They signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this end at the trade body's headquarters in Uttara in the city on Sunday, says a statement.
The MoU formalises collaboration under three flagship projects implemented by Swisscontact -- PROGRESS (Promoting Green Growth in the RMG Sector through Skills), InSPIRE (Initiative to Stimulate Private Investment for Resource Efficiency) and BYETS (Building Youth Employability through Skills).
The first two projects are funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) respectively and the third one by the Embassy of the Netherlands.
The MoU brings together BGMEA's industry reach and Swisscontact's development expertise to collaborate and promote sustainability, focusing on skills development for women and youth, environmental and social compliance, clean energy adoption, and joint outreach to support factory-level transformation in the RMG sector, the statement added.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ikramul H Sohel, Senior Programme Officer-Inclusive Economic Development of the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, said, "The Swedish government prioritises empowering MSMEs and advancing gender equality within the RMG sector. We believe this partnership between Swisscontact and BGMEA will bring these priorities to life by catalysing meaningful, long-term change that benefits both workers and businesses."
BGMEA Administrator Anwar Hossain said, "This MoU reflects our commitment to strengthening Bangladesh's RMG sector by enhancing competitiveness through innovation, workforce development, and sustainability. We look forward to working with Swisscontact to create tangible impacts across the industry."
"We are excited to join hands with BGMEA to scale our efforts in making the RMG sector more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable," said Ishrat Fatema, Deputy Country Director of Swisscontact Bangladesh.
Newly elected BGMEA senior vice president Inamul Haq Khan Bablu and its Support Committee members Asif Ashraf and ANM Saifuddin were also present.
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