http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidType=NAT&hidRecord=0000000000000000004409
National
News from Bangladesh, Monday March 22 2004 11:18:40 AM BDT
A high-level delegation comprising represntatives of all resident
diplomatic missions of the European Union in Dhaka will start a
three-day visit to the Chittagong Hill Tracts on 22 March to see first
hand the ongoing humanitarian relief effort in Mahalchari, meet with
local leaders and government officials and visit development projects.
Those participating in the visit are: Mr Sjef IJzermans, Ambassador of
the Netherlands (Local EU Presidency); Dr David Carter, British High
Commissioner; Dr Pietro Ballero, Ambassador of Italy; Mr Borje Mattsson,
Ambassador of Sweden; Mr Esko Kentrschynskyj, Ambassador of the European
Commission; Mrs Fabienne Drout, Deputy Head of Mission,
Embassy of France; Mr Tom Hansen, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of
Denmark; Mr Hermann Nicolai, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany;
Mrs Anne Marchal, First Secretary, European Commission; and Mr Alan
Shaw, Second Secretary, British High Commission.
The visit is facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), through the Agency's newly established Chittagong Hill Tracts
Development Facility (CHTDF) office in Rangamati. The UN Resident
Coordinator in Bangladesh, Mr Jorgen Lissner will join the visit,
accompanied by UNDP officials.
Initially the high-level EU delegation will visit the Mahalchari
villages where communal violence robbed more than 400 families of their
homes and livelihoods on 26 August 2003. The European Union has provided
most of the funding towards the ongoing humanitarian
assistance project in Mahalchari, which is implemented by UNDP together
with other UN agencies in order to restore family and community
livelihoods in the villages.
Following the visit to Mahalchari, the EU diplomats will attend the
first ever Khagrachari Leadership Meeting on the theme of "Partnership
for Development,"� in the presence of Hill District Council leaders and
the Deputy Commissioner, amongst others.
The tour will continue to Rangamati where the EU diplomats will visit
some of the 120
communities participating in the UNDP programme for the "Promotion of
Development and Confidence Building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts." In
addition, the EU diplomats will have meetings with the Rangamati Deputy
Commissioner, the Chairman of the Hill District Council and the CHT
Regional Council. [End]
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For further information please contact, Ms. Lisa Hiller, UNDP
Communications Officer via email: lisa.hiller@undp.org, ph: 811 8600,
ext. 2403, mob: 011812042, or, Mr. Binoy Khisha, UNDP Communications
Assistant via email: binoy.khisha@undp.org, ph: 8118600, ext. 2431.
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