New York: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the US lawmakers to make a new law with provision for Bangladesh’s duty-and quota-free access to the US market, as Dhaka’s long effort for this facility in order to lift a little its poor standing in world trade is yet to yield results.

“Bangladesh looks forward to the USA as a major development and trading partner,” Hasina said at a business meeting with the US Chamber of Commerce at Four Seasons Restaurant here.

She sought more US investment for Bangladesh’s development and said the United States is the largest investor in different sectors of Bangladesh, including energy and power, banking and life insurance.

Bangladesh exported products worth US$ 3.2 billion, about 27 percent of the country’s total annual export turnover, but it was only 0.24 percent of USA’s annual imports.

Bangladesh is enjoying Generalised System of Preference (GSP) facility from the US and it should be more under the new law to be formulated with duty-and quota-free access to the American market, Hasina added.

At another programme of UNICEF, the prime minister said international communities should come under a common shed to prevent diarrhoea and vaccination for six deadly diseases of children. And UNICEF can play an important role in this regard.

“As children of developing countries are facing threats due to world recession, the UNICEF can work for them in implementing the Millennium Development Goal (MDG),” she added.

BDST 1840 HRS, SEP 23