US-Bangladesh Business Council Launches
The U.S.-Bangladesh Business Council aims to increase trade between the two countries, as Bangladesh is expected to graduate from the least-developed countries list by 2026. The U.S. is the largest importer of Bangladeshi products, and imported not quite $7 billion in 2019, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. A launch program hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that Bangladesh imported more than $1 billion in American agricultural products.
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Nisha Biswal, president of the U.S.- Bangladesh Business Council, said Bangladesh has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat said during the April 6 launch program that she hopes that more apparel manufacturers in Bangladesh -- apparel is the country's largest export -- would adopt the Cotton Trust protocol, which connects purchases of U.S. cotton with other corporate responsibility practices. Bernicat said doing so “will that ensure workers earn a fair wage and enjoy rights protected under the law while using ethically sourced materials.”
Walmart International CEO Judith McKenna also spoke during the program. “We are proud to bring Bangladesh made products for our customers around the world,” she said, and Walmart is committed to the welfare of the women and men who make those products. “We applaud strides taken to improve worker safety and dignity,” she said.