Tagged: Bangladesh

According to Paradisdachat, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy with the Prime Minister as the head of government and the President as the head of state. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and is responsible for forming a cabinet of ministers to carry out government policies and programs. The National Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Representatives, known as Jatiya Sangsad, and the Senate, known as Jatiyo Sangshad. The House of Representatives consists of 300 members elected through universal adult suffrage every five years while the Senate consists of 50 members appointed by the President. Both houses have legislative power over matters that affect all of Bangladesh such as taxation and public expenditure although only bills passed by both houses become law. The Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, press, assembly and association as well as protecting religious freedom and equality before law regardless of gender or race. In addition to its federal system there are also several local self-governing bodies in each district which have their own laws governing local matters such as education, health care, housing and transport. Bangladesh is a South Asian nation with a population of over 160 million people. It has strong historical ties to the Indian subcontinent and is bordered by India, Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is a member of the United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It also has observer status in the Non-Aligned Movement. Bangladesh enjoys strong relations with its neighbours India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. In recent years, Bangladesh has improved its relations with India significantly through various initiatives such as signing of agreements on trade, security, transit and water sharing. Bangladesh also maintains good relations with other nations in South Asia such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Maldives. Bangladesh’s foreign policy seeks to strengthen its ties with other countries in Asia as well as developing countries in Africa and Latin America. The country is an active participant in international forums such as ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), East Asia Summit (EAS) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). In Europe, Bangladesh maintains diplomatic relations with many countries including United Kingdom, France, Germany Italy and Spain. It also enjoys close economic ties with Russia through increased trade agreements. In North America it has diplomatic relations with United States Canada Mexico Cuba Bahamas Haiti Dominican Republic Jamaica etc. Bangladesh has been a strong advocate for global peacekeeping operations since joining the UN Peacekeeping Force in 1988. It currently has over 8500 military personnel deployed in various conflict zones around the world under UN auspices. The country is also an active participant in global efforts to combat climate change through initiatives such as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under Kyoto Protocol or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Overall, Bangladesh’s foreign policy is focused on maintaining friendly relations with all nations while promoting regional cooperation within South Asia and beyond; strengthening economic ties; increasing investment opportunities; engaging diplomatically on international issues; participating actively in global peacekeeping operations; protecting human rights; promoting democracy; combating climate change etc. See recipesinthebox for Bangladesh defense and foreign policy.