Sylhet Bureau :
Expatriates are the biggest driving force of Bangladesh’s economy. Just as it is necessary to make it safe for those expatriates to go abroad, they must also be provided with necessary assistance when they return from abroad. It must start from the airport. Government and private organizations must all do that work together. In this regard, there should be a framework so that returnees get the necessary assistance.
These things came up at a coordination meeting organized today, (Tuesday 24 June 2025), by the Civil Aviation Authority and BRAC Migration Program.
The event was organized at the conference room of Osmani International Airport under the Improved Sustainable Reintegration of Bangladeshi Returnee Migrants (Pratyasha-2) project jointly funded by the European Union and BRAC. Representatives and stakeholders of various organizations working at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet also present the meeting.
The chief guest of the event, Director of Sylhet Osmani International Airport Md. Hafiz Ahmed, said, “Everyone should treat expatriates humanely. We always try to do this work. Since it is a migration-prone district, many people from Sylhet are also on the list of those returning from abroad. Since many flights arrive in Sylhet in addition to Dhaka, many return through Sylhet Osmani International Airport. The non-governmental organization BRAC is providing various emergency assistance to foreign returnees here. If everyone working at the airport knows this information, more people will receive this service. We believe that more people can be helped if we work together.”
The special guest of the meeting, Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Expatriate Welfare Branch of the Sylhet District Administration, Polly Rani Deb, said, “We have to be more sincere in providing services to expatriates. In addition, we have to make not only the migrants but also their families aware of the importance of remittance investment.”
Shariful Islam Hasan, Associate Director (Migration Program and Youth Platform) of BRAC, presented the keynote speech at the event.
He said, “Along with Dhaka and Chittagong, we are also with the returnees in Sylhet. BRAC has provided emergency assistance to more than 37,000 people at the airport in the last eight years. In our experience, we think that there should be a framework or SOP at the airport to assist returnees, which will specify who does what. And not only emergency assistance, we are also providing counseling and financial assistance to returnees.”
Thanking everyone involved in the operation of Sylhet Airport, Shariful said, “All the organizations working at Sylhet Airport, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, Expatriates Welfare Desk, Immigration, Aviation Security (AVSEC), National Intelligence Agency, APBN, and Directorate General of Defense Intelligence, have been constantly helping us to conduct our emergency assistance activities, so we have been able to provide emergency assistance to returnees. To expand this assistance further, we are also implementing a project called Protshaya-2. At least 10,000 people will receive assistance at the airport under this project. In addition, 7,700 foreign returnees will be helped step by step so that they can earn money again in the country. If anyone in Sylhet needs urgent help, we will be there for them.’
The event was also addressed by Sylhet Osmani International Airport Chief Security Officer Riaz Ahmed, Deputy Director (Fire) Abu Mohammad Omar Sharif, Sylhet District Employment and Manpower Office Assistant Director Md. Nazmus Shakib, Sylhet Women’s Technical Training Center Principal Engineer Asif Aziz, Sylhet Technical Training Center Acting Principal Sheikh Mohammad Nahid Niaz, journalist Ujjal Mehdi and others. In addition, officials of the Civil Aviation Authority, Expatriates Welfare Desk and other government agencies working at Osmani Airport, representatives of private organizations, journalists and representatives of civil society were also present at the coordination meeting. Representatives of various BRAC programs working at the BRAC Migration Programme Head Office and the Migration and Reintegration Support Center in Sylhet were also present at the coordination meeting.
Joint meeting of BRAC and Osmani International Airport authority
