Bangladesh again not on list of invitees

Staff Reporter :
Dashing all the expectation of Bangladesh, the Biden Administration has not invited Bangladesh again to the second Summit for Democracy to be held on 29-30 Mach.
The State Department on Monday disclosed the list of 110 invitees to the Summit for Democracy where four South Asian countries India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan have been invited.
When Bangladesh was excluded from the first Summit in 2021, the government of Bangladesh expected that the US administration would invite in the second summit.
Even the then US South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau Deputy Assistant Secretary Ambassador Kelly Keiderling during his visit to Dhaka in 2021 also hinted the inclusion of Bangladesh the second Summit.
But with utter dismay, Bangladesh has again been kept out of the list in the second Summit as well.
During the first Summit, the Biden administration US invited all participating countries to make commitments and make 2022 a “Year of Action” to strengthen democracy.?
According to the US State Department statement, the second gathering will highlight how democracies deliver for their citizens and are best equipped to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
About the Summit for Democracy 2023, the US State Department said, “As President Biden has said, we are in the early years of a decisive decade for our world which will determine our collective future. No matter how challenging the problems we face, we know that democracy remains the best tool we have to unleash our human potential and deliver for all our people, and we will continue to champion it.”
On March 29-30, 2023, the United States will co-host the second Summit for Democracy with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, and Republic of Zambia.
The second Summit for Democracy will assemble world leaders in a virtual, plenary format, followed by gatherings in each of the co-hosted countries with representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector.
Co-hosting the second Summit for Democracy with a regionally diverse group of co-hosts reinforces the truth that a safer and fairer world grounded in democratic values is both a shared aspiration and a shared responsibility, it said.
Building on the first Summit for Democracy held in December 2021, this gathering will highlight how democracies deliver for their citizens and are best equipped to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
At the first Summit in December 2021, approximately 100 governments made nearly 750 commitments to advance democracy, fight corruption, and counter authoritarianism.
Together, we will showcase progress made by Summit partners on commitments during the Year of Action, and will organize collective action to address emerging challenges to democracy.
We will champion a vision of our world that is grounded in democratic values: transparent, responsive, and accountable governance; rule of law; and respect for human rights. In this inflection point in history, the United States – with our partners and allies – is committed to leading the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all.