Dhaka, Bangladesh, 8 December 2015 - Prince Amyn Aga Khan, the younger brother of His Highness the Aga Khan, presented his credentials as the Personal Representative of His Highness the Aga Khan to Bangladesh. The ceremony took place at a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Mr. Abdul Hassan Mahmood Ali, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday 3 December 2015.

In accepting his credentials, Minister Mahmood Ali welcomed Prince Amyn Aga Khan to Bangladesh, and congratulated him on his appointment. Minister Mahmood Ali expressed his gratitude to His Highness the Aga Khan for his ongoing support towards the development of the country. Citing another historic milestone – the signing of the Protocol of Cooperation between the government and AKDN in September of 2013 – the Honourable Minister remarked that the government looks towards strengthening the working relationship with AKDN in the country.

In his response, Prince Amyn Aga Khan expressed his personal gratitude to the government for the support provided, and added that AKDN is looking forward to building upon its long and historic presence in Bangladesh, having worked for over five-decades in a number of sectors integral to Bangladesh’s development including early-childhood development, pre-tertiary education, and financial services. AKDN also looks to explore the possibility of expanding its programmatic portfolio into areas such as tourism and cultural preservation and promotion.

Later that afternoon, in his first official capacity as the Personal Representative of His Highness the Aga Khan to the country, Prince Amyn received the Chief Guest and High Representative of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, HE Mr. Mohammad Shahriar Alam, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the newly-established AKDN Office located in the diplomatic enclave of the capital.

In the presence of Prince Amyn Aga Khan and a number of Ambassadors and development partners, Minister Alam participated at the inaugural reception at the Office, commenting that his government looks forward to strengthening the cordial relations between the government and the AKDN.

As a symbol of the mutual respect between the government and the Network, in the evening the Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Mr. Abdul Hassan Mahmood Ali, hosted a dinner in honour of Prince Amyn. Attending the dinner were senior members of the government including representation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Prince Amyn concluded his two-day working visit on Friday by holding discussions with the Heads of AKDN agencies in Bangladesh, and visiting the prospective site of the Aga Khan Academy – Dhaka, before departing later that afternoon.

For more information please contact:

Aga Khan Development Network
Department of Communictions
Email: [email protected]

NOTE

The Aga Khan Development Network has been working with Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for over 50 years, particulalry in rural development, microfinance, economic development and education. In culture, two Bangladeshi institutions received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, in 1989 and 2007.