The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) organized a dialogue titled “Fostering Sustainable Investment” on Sunday (July 20, 2025) at the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka. Ms. Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was present as the Guest of Honor at the event. Recover™, Philip Morris Bangladesh Limited and Chevron Bangladesh supported the event.
In his opening remarks at the dialogue, Syed Irshad Ahmed, President of AmCham Bangladesh, said that Bangladesh is now at a crossroads of sustainable development in a critical time of transitioning from LDC and addressing climate change. Along with economic growth, the risk of environmental degradation is threatening the country’s health, business and investment environment. Although there is a positive trend of green initiatives in the private sector, policy gaps and weaknesses in implementation remain. The dialogue is organized to pave the way for public-private collaboration and to make sustainability a key pillar of the country’s economic future.
In her speech, Honorable Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hassan said that the investment framework must be re-designed to reduce pressure on natural resources. Especially the growing demand in the garment sector can create additional pressure on the environment. She highlighted progress in three sectors—the textile sector is gradually moving towards sustainable production; work is underway to formulate an industrial water use policy, which will determine the cost of controlling groundwater use; and a mandatory regulation to control harmful chemicals used in local products is imminent.
She announced plans to increase the use of renewable energy to 30 percent by 2030 in the energy sector. She also said that government offices will be brought under this transformation. Regarding the tobacco sector, she said that discussions will be held with businessmen and stakeholders to formulate future policies.
At the end of the dialogue, participants highlighted various challenges and recommendations for policymakers, especially from the perspective of sustainability in trade and investment. Emphasizing the need to enhance dialogue between the public and private sectors, it was said that such platforms help all parties jointly find effective solutions.
At the end of the event, Mr. Eric M. Walker, Vice President of AmCham and Managing Director of Chevron Bangladesh, proposed a vote of thanks.
