Yunus seeks US support to rebuild Bangladesh, implement reforms

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus today sought support from the US to rebuild Bangladesh, implement key reforms, and recover stolen assets.
The appeal was made during a meeting with a high-powered US delegation at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, Chief Adviser’s Office said in a statement.
Yunus outlined the urgent challenges his interim government faces, stressing the need to “reset, reform, and restart” the economy.
He described ongoing reforms in the financial sector, judiciary, and police, which have been initiated to strengthen national institutions and address systemic corruption.
“This is a very important time for us and a significant moment in our history,” Yunus said, referring to the student-led revolution that culminated in the toppling of the Awami League government on August 5.
He said his government was committed to getting back the stolen assets siphoned off by corrupt individuals linked with the previous autocratic regime.
Key reforms include the establishment of six commissions, which Yunus said were formed within weeks of the new government’s assumption of power.
These commissions aim to prevent election fraud and overhaul sectors like the judiciary, civil administration, the police force, and the country’s anti-corruption agency. Constitutional amendments are also on the agenda, read the statement.
“We were in an ocean of corruption,” Yunus said in the meeting, describing hurdles his administration face in curbing graft. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to recovering stolen assets.
The US delegation, led by Brent Nieman, assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department, expressed strong support for Yunus’s reform agenda. Nieman and his team conveyed Washington’s willingness to provide both technical and financial support for the interim government’s reform initiatives.
The hourlong discussions also covered economic and financial reforms, investment opportunities, labour issues, and the Rohingya refugee crisis. The chief adviser’s upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly was also addressed during the meeting.
Other US officials in attendance included Donald Lu, assistant secretary of State, Brendan Lynch, assistant US Trade Representative, Anjali Kaur, deputy assistant administrator, and Jerrod Mason, a director at the US Treasury Department.
Representing the Bangladesh side were Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy of the chief adviser on international affairs, Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and head of SDG Affairs, Md Jashim Uddin, foreign secretary, and Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division.