German Minister Dirk Niebel welcomes involvement of KAS in Bangladesh

The German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Dirk Niebel, German Ambassador to Bangladesh, Holger Michael and Bangladesh Economic Relations Division Secretary, Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan jointly inaugurated the German House on Thursday, 23rd June, 2011, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) opened its first Bangladesh office in the newly inaugurated German House. The new KAS office will play a key role in the foundation's Regional Program SAARC, which is headed by the KAS office in New Delhi. Other German Development Organizations housed in the German House are GIZ, KfW and DEG along with the Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BGCCI).

By opening the Bangladesh office KAS diversifies its program portfolio in the region. The main objective of the KAS Regional Program SAARC is to enhance the process of regional integration in South Asia. With an office in Dhaka, KAS will be better suited to support programs that overcome regional challenges, strengthen the pillars of democratic institutions, and promote the rule of law.

Minister Niebel stated that “It is only by keeping up a close exchange and tackling the challenges together, that we will manage to find ideas and solutions for the future and make our development cooperation even more effective”. He also added, “With the opening up of KAS office at German House, the German development cooperation has added a new chapter in its work in Bangladesh, with a particular focus on civil society and NGOs for the promotion of democracy”.