The United States reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s inclusive economic growth, institution building, and development by pledging an additional $202 million in aid, a U.S. delegation announced during a visit to Dhaka on Sunday.
Led by Brent Neiman, Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury Department, the six-member delegation is the first U.S. group to visit since Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim government last month, following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after violent protests.
In a televised address last week, Chief Adviser Yunus urged for $5 billion in international aid to stabilize an economy hit hard by rising fuel and food costs due to the Ukraine war. Last year, Bangladesh requested a $4.7 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
USAID confirmed a $202 million grant aimed at promoting good governance, social and economic development, and resilience, which was formalized in an agreement signed in Dhaka on Sunday.
This grant builds on a 2021 USAID commitment to provide a total of $954 million between 2021 and 2026, of which $425 million has already been disbursed.
Following a meeting with Yunus, the U.S. embassy posted a statement on Facebook reiterating Washington’s support for Bangladesh’s pursuit of a more “equitable and inclusive future.”
According to a statement from Yunus’s office, he requested U.S. assistance in rebuilding the country, implementing key reforms in the judiciary, police, and financial sectors, and recovering assets misappropriated by the previous regime.
The visiting U.S. delegation expressed its willingness to assist with these reforms through both technical expertise and financial support, the statement said.
Discussions also touched on economic reforms, investment, labor issues, the Rohingya refugee crisis, and Yunus’s upcoming trip to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
The U.S. delegation also met with senior members of the interim government, including Foreign Affairs Adviser Mohammad Touhid Hossain, Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, and Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan Mansur.
Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary for South Asia, who joined the delegation after completing his visit to India, was also part of the discussions.
The U.S. embassy confirmed its continued collaboration with Bangladesh to expand economic opportunities, strengthen institutional capacity, uphold human rights, and address climate challenges.
