St. Petersburg University


Speech by Her Excellency


Sheikh Hasina


Prime Minister


Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh


St. Petersburg University, 23/24 November 2010


Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim


Vice Chancellor of St. Petersburg State University,

Members of the Faculty,

Scholars and Students,

Ladies and Gentlemen,


Assalamu Alaikum and a very Good Morning to you all.


I am deeply touched by the kind words you have expressed for me and for my country, Bangladesh. I am also profoundly honored to receive from you, Mr. Vice Chancellor, and from St. Petersburg State University, the esteemed Honorary Doctorate for Outstanding Contribution in the International Development. This gracious gesture is a rare honor for my country and for our 160 million people.

It was the people's will that swept our party, the Awami League, to power in the national elections of 29 December 2008. The election was closely monitored by election observers from around the world and was acclaimed universally as the freest and fairest ever held in the country. The elections made it possible for the return of a secular, progressive democracy in Bangladesh.

The credible elections and the secular democracy which followed seemed to breathe a new life in the country and in its people. Suddenly business activity was upbeat, bustling with vibrancy and leading to increasing trade, investment and remittances. Development efforts found new energy and the pragmatic, liberal business policies of our government.

Overall indications are that we are back on track of progress which was cut short by the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, under whose leadership, Bangladesh was born. Bangabandhu was my father and with him was killed 18 members of my family, including a ten year old brother.

It was the love and the will of the people that bestowed the office of Prime Minister on me after the 1996 elections. It is the same strength that has brought me back as Prime Minister in the 2008 elections. The only purpose of my life now is to serve my people and country and realize my father's dream of "Sonar Bangla" or "Golden Bangladesh".

Our biggest challenges are poverty and inequality and both of them are our priority targets for elimination. The basic instrument to do so is education. With the highest budget allocation for education, we intend to achieve 100% primary school enrollment by 2011 and 100% literacy rate by 2014. School attendance is encouraged through providing gradually free lunch to students, and cash incentives to parents.

Gender equality in education has now been achieved at the secondary level. We plan to provide girls with free tuition till graduation. At leadership level, beside me, the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Leader, a Whip, 5 cabinet Ministers, 19 directly elected MPs, 45 MPs against reserved seats, and 30 % of all local government officers are women. We have also encouraged them to be in politics, administration, armed services and in all professions. Women are also serving in UN peacekeeping operations in far away lands.

Our policies include alleviation of poverty and also creating social safety nets. Thus, pension is provided to the distressed and the widowed women; "Ashrayan" or homes for the homeless; "One Home -One Farm" for small land owners, among others. A new policy provides employment of one member from every poor family, and another, "National Services Policy" provides for two years service for young men and women.

I the health sector, our government is on the way to complete construction of 18,000 community clinics, each one of which is to cover 6,000 people. Our success in reducing infant mortality by 50% was recognized through an MDG Award during the 65th UNGA. We are on track on other MDGs, particularly on poverty alleviation, universal primary education and gender equality. Our aim is to raise 12 million people out of poverty within the MDG time frame of 2015.

In our bid to achieve a "Digital Bangladesh" and a middle income country by 2021, we have begun speedy implementation of our ICT Act and ICT Policy 2009. Through ICT, we are on the way to reducing poverty, promoting education, providing healthcare, improving agricultural information delivery, disaster early warning, social safety nets disbursement, and accelerate socio-economic development. Internet services have been made free to schools, training colleges, local government institutions. Our 4,500 post offices and recently 4503 Union Information and Service Centers have been connected with internet.

Climate change and global warming are our biggest threat. A meter rise in sea water would submerge a quarter of Bangladesh displacing over 20 million people. We have, therefore, adopted 134 adaptation and mitigation plans of which dredging of rivers is a major one to hold flood water and to reclaim agricultural land. Other plans include afforesting 20 % of land mass by 2015, thus creating a huge carbon sink; protecting biodiversity; strengthening coasts and banks with green belts; developing crop varieties attuned to climate change; promoting renewable energy and nuclear power, to name a few.   

Our foreign policy is based on the Father of the Nation's dictum, "Friendship towards all and Malice towards none" and I have been traveling far and wide to strengthen friendship with all. I believe our biggest enemy is poverty and we need all our friends' close support to eliminating this scourge. I also need the help of all our friends to weed out terrorism and all forms of extremism from the soil of secular Bangladesh.

Before I conclude, I wish to again thank you most humbly for the great honor you have bestowed through conferring the prestigious Doctorate for Outstanding Contribution in the International Humanitarian Development, to me. It would reinforce my resolve and determination to serve my country and people in the same my as father would have done. Indeed, this is a day which I shall cherish very fondly forever.

Thank you, Mr. Vice chancellor. Thank you, St. Petersburg State University.


Khoda Hafez

Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu

May Bangladesh Live Forever

Long Live Bangladesh - Russia Friendship.