This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000273 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EB FOR DENNIS WINSTEAD AND EB/EX 
NEW DELHI FOR FCS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A 
TAGS: BEXP ABUD ETRD EINV BTIO BG
SUBJECT: BFIF FY06 PROPOSALS FOR BANGLADESH 
 
Ref: A) SECSTATE 215954 
     B) DHAKA 5572 
 
¶1. Embassy Dhaka welcomes the opportunity to submit 
the following request, totaling $11,000, for the 
FY06 Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF). 
Support from BFIF FY05 grants resulted in numerous 
achievements (ref B), and continues to position the 
Embassy's U.S. Trade Center to expand its activities 
substantially in FY06.  In accordance with the BFIF 
proposal instructions (ref A), post has concentrated 
its proposal for this year in four thematic areas: 
i) Promoting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ii) 
Combating Corruption in Business Practices iii) 
Trade Center activities during America Week, and iv) 
Printing and Publication of Export Promotion 
materials. 
 
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Priority One: IPR Seminars 
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¶2. Post requests BFIF for Seminars on IPR promotion 
to be held in four Bangladeshi cities - Sylhet, 
Khulna, and Rajshahi, and Chittagong - between June 
and September.  We are planning 10 monthly seminars 
in various Bangladeshi universities to increase 
public awareness to the growing problem of IPR 
infringement in Bangladesh.  We plan on using BFIF 
for such seminars in universities outside of the 
Dhaka metropolitan area. 
 
¶3. Justification and Planning Milestones: Post has 
recently noticed an increase in IPR infringement of 
U.S. rights holders.  Several U.S. corporations with 
interests in Bangladesh have recently contacted us 
regarding infringement of their trademarks, trade- 
names and copyrights.  Our seminars are expected to 
highlight this growing problem in public forums to 
increase public awareness and encourage government 
action. The Embassy organized an IPR Conference in 
July 2005 that generated large-scale interest in the 
public and private sectors.  To continue the 
momentum generated by the July event, we are 
planning 10 seminars at various universities around 
the country this year, four of them outside Dhaka. 
 
¶4. Performance metrics/MPP priority:  Increasing 
public awareness to this growing problem will ensure 
greater compliance to existing laws and would 
encourage stronger enforcement from the Bangladeshi 
government.  Pressuring the BDG to reform IPR laws 
and policies and strengthen enforcement measures 
will have a direct impact on sale of legitimate U.S. 
products in Bangladesh, a key MPP objective. 
 
¶5. Cost estimate: We estimate the cost of holding 
these four seminars to be $4,000.  This estimate 
includes the cost of airfare, hotel, and per diem 
for one Economic/commercial officer, Economic/ 
Commercial Specialist and airfare and lodging for 
two IPR experts and printing and advertising costs 
($500). 
 
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Priority Two: Conference on Combating Corruption 
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¶6. Post plans to organize a Conference on Combating 
Corruption in Bangladesh Business Practices. 
Corruption is widespread in Bangladeshi business 
practices, especially in public procurement cases. 
Post advocates regularly on behalf of U.S. 
corporations that have lost out on public tenders 
due to unfair and corrupt tactics by other bidders. 
Post intends to organize this conference, with the 
American Chamber of Commerce, to address corruption 
in public tenders and to educate agents of U.S. 
corporations about the Foreign Corrupt Practices 
Act. Bangladesh government officials, U.S. 
corporations, local agents of U.S. corporate 
interests, and other multinationals represented in 
Bangladesh will be the target audience. 
 
¶7. Justification and planning milestones: The 
majority of advocacy cases that post is currently 
dealing with are a direct result of rampant 
corruption in the public procurement process.  We 
have also noticed that many local agents of U.S. 
corporations are engaging in corruption either 
because they are unaware of their obligations under 
the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or they are 
choosing to ignore them.  This Conference is 
intended to educate and inform BDG officials and 
agents of multinationals about international 
standards for public procurement. 
 
¶8. Performance metrics/MPP priority: Post is 
planning this Conference to address the growing 
problem of corruption even among local agents of 
American companies.  We also see this as an 
opportunity to publicly discuss this issue with BDG 
officials.  This seminar will promote economic 
reform and ultimately U.S. exports, both key MPP 
objectives. 
 
¶9. Cost Estimate: We estimate the cost of holding 
this seminar to be $2,500.  This estimate includes 
the cost of renting the ballroom of a centrally 
located hotel ($1,500); printing of banners and 
brochures ($800); distribution of press releases and 
photographs ($200). 
 
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Priority three: America Week in Chittagong 
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¶10. Post is organizing its annual America Week event 
in Chittagong, which is scheduled for March.  The 
Trade Center routinely organizes trade events during 
America Week to showcase American products and 
services.  Post intends to use BFIF to organize 
economic activities during America Week including an 
Economic Roundtable with the Chittagong Chamber of 
Commerce. 
 
¶11. Justification and planning milestones: 
Chittagong is the major port city in Bangladesh and 
is therefore the hub for businesses involved in 
international trade.  Post intends to use the 
America Week event to focus on business activities 
in Chittagong and highlight pressing issues in the 
Chittagong business context.  Organizing commerce- 
related events in Chittagong will help the 
Econ/Commercial section make contacts with business 
leaders in Chittagong and address concerns importers 
face in dealing with the port in Chittagong. 
 
¶12. Performance metrics/MPP priority: Embassy Dhaka 
organizes annual America Week events in major cities 
to showcase all aspects of Embassy activities. 
Given Chittagong's importance as a business city, 
the Embassy intends to prominently promote the 
activities of the Trade Center. Trade promotion 
activities during America Week, an MPP objective, 
will significantly increase exposure of U.S. goods 
and services to buyers in Chittagong. 
 
¶13. Cost estimate: We estimate the cost of our 
activites in Chittagong to be $2,000.  This estimate 
includes the cost of renting the ballroom of Agrabad 
hotel ($1,000), printing of banners brochures ($800) 
and distribution of press releases and pictures 
($200). 
 
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Priority four: Printing outreach materials 
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¶14. Post would like to use BFIF to cover the 
printing costs of various publications that are 
essential to our outreach efforts.  Our quarterly 
newsletter advertises upcoming trade shows, 
highlights the export potential of a variety of U.S. 
products and services, promotes economic reform, and 
summarizes the Ambassador's recent speeches on trade 
issues.  Our Trade Center brochure describes our 
commercial services, contains an export promotion 
message from the Ambassador, and has information on 
our hours of operation, phone/fax numbers and 
internet address.  Post also plans to print and bind 
its Country Commercial Guide and produce a small 
laminated card (about the size of a business card) 
with the phone numbers and email addresses of our 
Trade Center FSNs. 
 
¶15. Justification and planning milestones: Post 
distributes its outreach material to walk-in Trade 
Center visitors, potential purchasers of U.S. goods 
and services who attend our catalog shows and 
America Week events, and visitors who pass by our 
Trade Center booth at the annual U.S. Trade Show, 
organized jointly by the Embassy and the American 
Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh.  We mail our 
newsletter to Chamber officials, AmCham members, 
officers of Bangladesh's largest firms, BDG commerce 
and trade officials, and even U.S. Congressmen.  We 
distribute our Country Commercial Guide to American 
businessmen showing an interest in Bangladesh.  We 
will draft and print our quarterly newsletter in 
March, June, September, and December.  Our other 
publications will be printed in June. 
 
¶16. Performance metrics/MPP priority:  Embassy 
officers now routinely carry our publications (the 
newsletter and country commercial guide) to meetings 
with government and business officials.  Our 
publications promote economic reform and U.S. 
exports, both key MPP objectives. 
 
¶17. Cost Estimate: We estimate the cost of this 
proposal to be $1,300.  This estimate includes the 
cost of printing our newsletter, Country Commercial 
Guide, Trade Center brochure, and small cards. 
 
¶18. Post appreciates the Department's consideration 
of our FY06 proposals.  The point of contact for 
BFIF projects is Economic/Commercial Officer Dayle 
Rebecca Johns. 
Chammas