IOM Bangladesh Chief Laura Tomm Bonde met Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury to strengthen migration cooperation. Photo : ministry

DHAKA, July 06, 2026 (BSS)- New Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh Dr. Laura Tomm Bonde has praised Bangladesh for its responsible leadership as one of the champion countries implementing the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and congratulated the government on its achievements.

Bonde said this as she paid a courtesy call on Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury at his office here.

The new chief of mission also said IOM would continue its comprehensive support to sustain Bangladesh's remarkable progress in raising awareness, promoting successful reintegration of returnee migrants, ensuring safe migration, and advancing women's empowerment.

She also noted that the 20 specific commitments in the current government's election manifesto are closely aligned with IOM's global action plan and objectives.

Ariful congratulated the new IOM Chief of Mission on her appointment in Bangladesh. He expressed deep appreciation for IOM's continued support and professionalism in promoting safe and orderly migration.

The minister said IOM's technical assistance in formulating Bangladesh's migration policy and implementing the National Action Plan for the Global Compact for Migration has been highly commendable. 

He added that both sides would continue working together on the formulation and implementation of the National Diaspora Policy and the Reintegration Policy for Returning Migrants.

Emphasizing institutional capacity building and digital transformation within the ministry, Ariful said his ministry and its affiliated agencies are being strengthened under the OpenID Foundation (OIDF) Framework which facilitates secure, interoperable digital identity verification, user authentication, and real-time security event sharing across different organizations and applications). 

He also noted that a comprehensive Migrant Information and Service Management System is being introduced to modernize migration services.

Referring to ongoing development initiatives, the minister said the government would ensure the successful continuation of the Diaspora Project, financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment (RAISE) Project, funded by the World Bank and the Wage Earners' Welfare Board of Bangladesh, as well as projects supported by the European Union. 

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to further strengthening its long-term partnership with IOM to promote safe overseas employment, modernize migration information systems, and support sustainable development.

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Mokhtar Ahmed, Additional Secretaries Md. Saiful Haque Chowdhury and Zinat Ara, along with other senior officials from the ministry and IOM Bangladesh, were also present at the meeting.