“BD cannot compromise with the ‘zero tolerance’ approach to terrorism”

“BD cannot compromise with the ‘zero tolerance’ approach to terrorism”

Dhaka, May 21 - Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Tuesday said they cannot compromise with the ‘zero tolerance’ approach to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with a view to building a peaceful, just and inclusive society. 

"We must stay sensitized to the potential sources of risks and challenges, including from the prolonged Rohingya humanitarian situation pending a durable solution to be found in neighbouring Myanmar – where the crisis had its origin," he said.

The Foreign Secretary was speaking today at a seminar on ‘Prevention of Violent Extremism in Bangladesh: Graduation and Sustainability’ at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Masud Bin Momen said, they must not feel complacent that violent extremism has been eliminated altogether; but they can draw comfort from the fact that Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) has equipped some of their communities with the tools and modalities to resist and withstand the spread of violent extremism. 

Executive Director of GCERF Dr Khalid Koser and Ambassador of Italy, among others, spoke at the inaugural session. 

Koser highly appreciated Bangladesh’s progress made 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 polarization leading to divisive politics in some parts of the world, in 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, the Foreign Secretary said.

"What we can share from Bangladesh’s experience is that an openness to acknowledge and tackle the challenge is always the best for social ownership and engagement towards necessary course correction," he said. 

The Foreign Secretary thanked GCERF for its diligent work in Bangladesh that he believes it can further build on and showcase. 

Masud Bin Momen said, they remain assured that GCERF would continue to assess the sustainability of progress over a period, and would remain available to re-deploy in case Bangladesh required it 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," he said.  

The Foreign Secretary 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. -UNB