(Dhaka, 06 September 2018) Mr. Richard Ragan, Country Director of World Food Program (WFP) in Bangladesh has presented his credentials to Hon’ble Foreign Minister Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 06 September 2018.

The new WFP Representative Mr. Richard Ragan, an American national, had a long working experience with WFP prior to his assignment in Dhaka. He served at WFP Offices in Nepal, North Korea and Zambia in various capacities. He also served in the United Nations Ebola Emergency Response Team as Director of Operations and UNWFP as Emergency Coordinator for the 2015 Nepal earthquake response. While accepting the credentials, Hon’ble Foreign Minister welcomed him to Bangladesh and assured him of all out support from the government.

After the presentation of credentials, a short courtesy meeting between the Hon’ble Foreign Minister and the WFP Country Director took place. During the meeting, Hon’ble Foreign Minister highly appreciated the role of WFP as the world's largest humanitarian agency in fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. He also deeply appreciated WFP’s immediate response in providing food assistance to the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh. He mentioned that Bangladesh has been trying in all fronts to ensure sustainable repatriation and re-integration of Rohingyas to their own homes in Myanmar. The cause of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas lies in Myanmar and they have to go back to their country of origin which is the only and ultimate solution of the crisis, the Hon’ble Foreign Minister stated. In the pursuit, he expressed firm belief that World Food Program (WFP) will continue to play a pro-active and substantive role in their safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar. In response, the new Country Director expressed hope that the relations between Bangladesh and the WFP will be strengthened through enhanced engagements in the coming days.

The new WFP Country director also praised the bold actions taken by Hon’ble Foreign Minister during our Liberation War in particular the diplomatic activities he performed in New York during 1971 to garner support for the Liberation War. Wishing the new Country Director a successful tenure in Bangladesh, the meeting was concluded.