DHAKA: Robert Watkins, the newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh, presented his credentials to Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at latter’s office on Sunday.

During the meeting, Watkins put emphasis on his commitment to harnessing the resources of all the UN agencies present in Bangladesh to support the country’s national development objectives.

Watkins also said that he is looking forward to continuing the UN’s strong partnership with the Government.

Office of UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, in a press release issued on Sunday, said that 2015 being the last year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Bangladesh is poised to achieve many of the targets.

Watkins succeeds former UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka, Neal Walker.

Prior to his appointment as the new UN Resident Coordinator, Robert Watkins was the Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, where he also served as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative.

Following his appointment, Robert Watkins made a courtesy call on AK Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of the Bangladesh Mission to the UN, at his office in New York.

During this meeting, Momen highlighted the work of the UN in Bangladesh and spoke highly of the UN’s role in the progress made by Bangladesh.

BDST: 1418 HRS, MAR 1, 2015