Bangladesh Embassy in Italy honours top remittance senders to mark International Migrants Day

Embassy of Bangladesh in Rome, Italy distributed "Remittance Award" to five expatriate Bangladesh nationals on the occasion of International Migrants Day-2022.

The Embassy organised an event on 19 December at the Chancery. Five Bangladesh nationals received Awards as the top remittance senders to Bangladesh from Italy between the period of July 2021 - June 2022. Md Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh ambassador to Italy, handed over the Awards to the recipients, reads a press release.

The programme included, among others, reading out of the messages of the president, prime minister, foreign minister and the Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, discussion meeting and distribution of Certificates and Crests.

At the beginning of the discussion session, Ashif Anam Siddique, first secretary (Labor welfare) of the Embassy, made a power-point presentation on the various activities undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh for the protection of the rights of expatriates for their welfare and to encourage sending of more remittances through legal channels and also on the role of the Embassy in this regard. The awardees, who joined in person as well as digitally, also spoke and sincerely thanked the Embassy for the recognition. 

Ambassador Ahsan, in his remarks, warmly congratulated all the awardees while acknowledging the significant contribution being made by the Bangladesh diaspora for the buoyancy of the economy of the country by sending valuable remittances.  

The ambassador further said that establishment of diplomatic relations immediately after the independence by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman paved the way for sending workers abroad. In this regard, he paid profound tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman while adding that the present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an expatriate-friendly government and highlighted the major steps taken by the Government in the context of this year's theme of the day  "We will keep well, stay well, will send remittance legally and build Bangladesh". 

Md Shameem Ahsan pointedly mentioned that the Government of Bangladesh remains committed in favour of legal migration. Among the guests, Laurence Hart, director, International Organization of Migration (IOM), Coordination Office of the Mediterranean and Giovanni Imbergamo, director, Janata Exchange (JEC) Srl spoke at the event. They both shared the global perspective of the day while appreciating the Government of Bangladesh for its role for the welfare of the expatriates and contribution of the migrants of the country.

The Awardees of 2022 in "individual category (male)" are - Mohammad Jahangir Farazy, Md Mahfujul Haque, Uddin Zia, and in "individual" category (female) Akhy Agnes Gomes and Mehenas Tabbasum.

Bangladesh Embassy in Rome launched the "Remittance Award" in 2019 to encourage and promote remittances to Bangladesh through legal channels. Officials of the Mission, awardees and their family members, journalists from the diaspora were present at the event. The guests were served with lunch.