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income due to caring responsibilities.

The EU, a leading humanitarian donor in Bangladesh, is providing more than €23 million in funds allocated for humanitarian partners in the country this year, including €16.4 million in humanitarian aid to provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities, and €7 million to support disaster preparedness, disaster risk reduction and resilience efforts.

SHAMA OBAED HAILS EU SUPPORT

Shama Obaed Islam, state minister for foreign affairs, yesterday lauded the EU’s continued engagement in supporting Bangladesh’s democratic journey, including the deployment of the Election Observer Mission.

She highlighted the importance of continued cooperation with international partners to further strengthen the country’s democratic institutions and processes.

The issues were discussed when Ivars Ijabs, chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), met the state minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and formally handed over a copy of the final report of the 2026 parliamentary elections, said the ministry.

The chief observer is scheduled to hold a press conference today at a Dhaka hotel.

On Sunday, Ivars Ijabs met Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and presented the mission’s final report and recommendations for improving future elections.

The report is based on a long-term, independent observation of the electoral process across all 64 districts of Bangladesh, while the 19 recommendations offered by the EU EOM aim at reinforcing the integrity of future elections, said officials.

Ijabs expressed hope that the recommendations will be considered by all relevant stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Parliament.