Speeches and Remarks

Harvard Conference Closing Remarks by Ambassador James F. Moriarty

October 10, 2009

Dr. Saad Andaleeb;Dr. Kazi Jalal; Ambassador Akramul Qader; Ambassador Abdul Momen; Distinguished conference participants; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words before we wrap up this weekend’s conference. Since I have already had the opportunity to speak at several points during the past two days’ proceedings, my closing comments will be brief.  

I can vividly recall sitting in my office in Dhaka earlier this year talking with Saad Andaleeb about his vision for this conference. I did not hesitate to accept Saad’s invitation to participate—and not only because I had high hopes that the Red Sox would make it into the playoffs. I wanted to be with all of you this weekend because I firmly believe in what the Bangladesh Development Initiative, the Democracy and Development in Bangladesh Forum (DDBF), and the Ash Institute are trying to achieve through this process. After two days of sharing ideas with my fellow conference participants, I am happy to say that my high expectations for this event were met.   

My next stop is Washington, where I will spend a week meeting with individuals inside and out of government who have a keen interest in Bangladesh. The timing of my visit could not have been better, coming on the heels of Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni’s very successful visit to Washington last month and the Prime Minister’s equally productive visit to New York. I cannot think of a time in which so much senior level attention was paid to Bangladesh in such a short period of time. Clearly, this is a recognition of the importance of Bangladesh and the significance of the democratic transition that took place earlier this year.

My job when I go to Washington will be to look for ways to build upon the momentum from these recent visits and to help chart the way forward in U.S.-Bangladesh relations.   All of you have made my task much easier, since you have confirmed my fundamental optimism both about the future of Bangladesh and about the opportunities to strengthen the ties between our two countries. You can rest assured that my discussions in Washington will reflect what we have talked about over the past two days. 

As we move forward, it is critical that we continue the process begun this weekend. You all know that ideas by themselves are not enough—we have to roll up our sleeves and commit to the hard work of putting these thoughts into action. I thank the organizers of this conference for providing a platform that allows academics, practitioners, members of civil society, and those who care deeply about Bangladesh to meet and share ideas about how to improve the lives of the country’s citizens. More importantly, you have helped to construct a community that will work together to see these ideas put into action.

In his opening remarks, my colleague Michael Owen spoke about the importance that Secretary of State Clinton has placed on outreach to the Bangladeshi diaspora community in the United States. Events such as this perform a vital function in allowing the diaspora to reconnect with Bangladesh and share their expertise and insights. We look forward to creating a vibrant public-private partnership that will serve as a foundation for the bilateral relationship and will help us take advantage of the many opportunities that exist in Bangladesh. 

You have my commitment that the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka will stand with you as we move forward to bring the ideas and conclusions from this weekend’s events to the attention of policymakers in Dhaka and Washington. There is much work to be done, but my time in Dhaka has shown me that nothing is impossible thanks to the hard work and determination of the Bangladeshi people. I have spent an eventful 18 months in Dhaka, and look forward to an equally productive second half of my assignment. 

Once again, I thank all of you for your contributions and your friendship, and look forward to seeing many of you again here or in Dhaka. Abar dekha hobe.