DHAKA, Aug 29, 2024 (BSS) - Speakers at a workshop today expressed their
concerns about the data discrepancy of Bangladesh before the country starts
negotiations in WTO.

EquityBD and the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) jointly organised the Media
workshop titled "WTO Trade Rules and LDC Graduation of Bangladesh" chaired by
ERF president Refayet Ullah Mridha and moderated by Abul Kashem, General
Secretary of ERF.

Over fifty economic journalists from different media outlets in Bangladesh
participated in the workshop.

The event's main speaker was Hafizur Rahman, former Additional Secretary and
former DG of WTO Cell, while Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Chief Moderator of
EquityBD gave the welcome speech. Barkat Ullah Maruf presented the keynote on
different agreements of WTO.

In his speech, Hafizur Rahman, also a member of the Bangladesh Competition
Commission, said, "We've the benefits of either side of LDC graduation. We
will be benefited if we graduate and that will include the advancement of our
competencies to openly compete with developed and developing countries. We
will also be benefited if we delay our graduation for a few years and that
will include the continued opportunities that the LDCs have. We have to
choose either of those provisions."

In his welcome speech, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said, EquityBD and COAST
Foundation have been working on WTO since 2005 when they demanded to form a
separate WTO Cell under the Commerce Ministry to effectively monitor the WTO
issues and build the country's negotiation capacity.

Barkat Ullah Maruf of COAST Foundation in his Keynote presentation said the
government must have a national strategy based on true data and benefit
calculation before going for the graduation from LDCs which will ultimately
impact the negotiations in WTO in future.

He said, "We have data discrepancies derived from quick political ambition
for which we are about to lose some negotiation ground in different sectors
including Agriculture and Fisheries."