BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY OF BANGLADESH: ODA IN PERSPECTIVE

Author: Mohammad Jasim Uddin

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2016v37n1a3

ABSTRACT

Studies on economic diplomacy of Bangladesh examine foreign policy and external economic aspects of the country. Such studies have not yet focused on Bangladesh’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) centric economic diplomacy. Instead of assessing how much and whether ODA is required for Bangladesh’s development priorities, this paper examines the major issues of ODA-centric economic diplomacy of the country and how they are to be dealt with. The paper thus limits its scopes – what is on offer or what ODA is on supply keeping aside Bangladesh’s development needs. Rather than providing concrete policy measures for various key ministries and divisions, this paper provides some propositions that could be taken by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) into consideration. Realising dynamism of global assistance, assessing conditionalities of ODA, lessening gap between commitment of aid and its disbursement, emphasising more on Aid for Trade (AfT) and mobilising climate financing are important issues for ODA-centric economic diplomacy of Bangladesh. No sources at multiple levels which are not tied with tough conditions should in general be left aside by the country. Priority needs to be given to countries or organisations which have already provided soft loans or grants, are still willing to do so as well as those which have emerged as new sources of assistance. The GoB requires exercising effective economic diplomacy to respond to these issues.