Bangladesh can't compromise with 'zero tolerance' approach to terrorism: Foreign secretary
"We must be aware of the potential sources of risks and challenges, such as due to the prolonged Rohingya crisis pending a durable solution in Myanmar where the crisis originated," he says
Bangladesh cannot compromise with the 'zero tolerance' approach to terrorism for building a peaceful, just and inclusive society, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said today (21 May).
"We must be aware of the potential sources of risks and challenges, such as due to the prolonged Rohingya crisis pending a durable solution in Myanmar where the crisis originated," he said at a seminar on 'Prevention of Violent Extremism in Bangladesh: Graduation and Sustainability' at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Executive Director of Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) Dr Khalid Koser and ambassador of Italy, among others, spoke at the inaugural session.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Masud Momen said people must not sit back assuming that violent extremism has been eliminated altogether. Though they can draw comfort from the fact that the GCERF has equipped some of their communities with the tools and modalities to resist and withstand the spread of violent extremism.
Dr Khalid Koser appreciated Bangladesh's progress so far and assured of continuing support.
The foreign secretary assured the GCERF of continued engagement with its work, including through its governing board.
"We hope that the exit plan implemented in Bangladesh would help advance GCERF's work in other comparable settings. It is certainly a testimony to GCERF's success that starting with three pilot countries, it has now been able to expand its work into 23 countries around the world," he said.
With the growing rise of intolerance, xenophobia and polarisation leading to divisive politics in some parts of the world, it may be required of GCERF to use its experiences even in settings that have traditionally been considered to be the key sources of funding only, he said.
"What we can share from Bangladesh's experience is that an openness to acknowledge and tackle the challenge is always the best bet for societal ownership and engagement towards necessary course correction," said the foreign secretary.
He thanked the GCERF for its diligent work in Bangladesh that he believes it can further build on and showcase.
Masud Momen said they remain assured that GCERF would continue to assess the sustainability of progress over a period, and would remain available to redeploy in case Bangladesh required it to do so.
"In line with our prime minister's directives, we have been able to devise proven and effective means to engage our youth, women, religious and opinion leaders to create guardrails against violent extremism sinking its roots within our communities," said the Foreign Secretary.
He said they need to continue supporting such community initiatives through investing in constructive narratives to counter the harmful messages propagated by violent extremists, increasingly through online platforms.
