Staff Reporter :
US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles H Rivkin arrives in Dhaka today (Wednesday) on a two-day visit to hold meetings and discussions with government officials, the business community, RMG sector leaders and workers, and the media on issues related to bilateral trade and investment, regional economic connectivity, workers rights and factory safety issues.
During his meet with the government officials, he will discuss areas and opportunities for increased bilateral trade and investment as well as Bangladesh’s regional economic connectivity, says a US Embassy release in Dhaka yesterday.
Rivkin will discuss the opportunities for businesses collaboration between the United States and Bangladesh here in the country and the region, drawing on his background as a former corporate CEO.
The assistant secretary will also meet garment factory owners and the labour leaders to discuss progress of the issues of worker rights and worker safety in ready-made garment factories.
His visit comes before the December review on Bangladesh’s GSP privilege. The critical work that remains to transform the apparel sector as envisioned in the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Action Plan that the United States provided to the Government of Bangladesh in July 2013 will also be discussed.
According to his office, Secretary of State John Kerry brought him in with a team of business leaders to help fulfill his mandate-“economic policy is foreign policy”.
Prior to his appointment, he served for more than four years as the United States Ambassador to France and Monaco, where he led America’s first and one of its largest diplomatic missions.
Rivkin is the first non-career bilateral ambassador to lead the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau, and he was brought in with a team of business leaders to help fulfill Secretary Kerry’s mandate that economic policy is foreign policy.
But before joining government service, he worked in the media for over 20 years where he served as President and CEO of award-winning entertainment companies such as The Jim Henson Company and Wildbrain.
Rivkin helped engineer the sale of The Jim Henson Company in 2000 for nearly $1 billion.
His contribution to the television landscape has influenced generations of viewers, and Rivkin was named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company.
He received his MBA from Harvard University in 1988.
In 2013, Ambassador Rivkin was personally awarded the Légion d’honneur with the rank of Commander by French President François Hollande.
