[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 372-373]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


          RECOGNIZING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO BANGLADESH DAN MOZENA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 9, 2015

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as he retires from the Foreign Service next 
week, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of the U.S. 
Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena. He led a distinguished career of 
public service to the United States, capped by his impressive efforts 
over the past several years to promote workers' safety and advance 
fundamental labor rights in Bangladesh.
  Following a string of tragedies in the Bangladesh garment industry, 
including the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory that took the lives of 
1,138 workers in 2013 and the factory fire at Tazreen Fashions that 
took the lives of 112 workers in 2012, Ambassador Mozena has advocated 
for workers' safety and their right to freedom of association. He has 
urged Bangladesh to transform its garment sector from a model based on 
a race-to-the-bottom in labor standards, to one where a ``Made in 
Bangladesh'' becomes a label valued for the country's commitment to 
workers' rights and high standards for safety.
  Following the U.S. Government's decision to suspend trade preferences 
and issue an Action Plan focused on labor rights and factory safety, 
Ambassador Mozena convened the embassies of other garment importing 
countries (Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European 
Union) with the responsible Bangladesh Government Secretariats on a 
monthly basis to track progress. This model for joint advocacy is one 
that merits recognition and replication as our Embassies work to 
elevate labor rights in developing economies.
  Ambassador Mozena worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to bring 
the first Labor Attache to Bangladesh, and he leaves an institutional 
framework to help advance labor rights in this young and developing 
country. Under Mozena's leadership the U.S. Embassy became a place 
where workers could turn to for help when they faced coercion, 
repression, and anti-union violence.
  Of course, there is a tremendous amount of work that still needs to 
be accomplished in Bangladesh to ensure that workers are safe and that 
their fundamental rights are respected in the workplace. Ambassador 
Mozena has fought to ensure that momentum is going in the right 
direction in Bangladesh--we must continue this work moving forward.
  Ambassador Mozena's accomplishments extend beyond labor rights. Since 
presenting his Letters of Credence to the President of Bangladesh on 
November 24, 2011, Ambassador Mozena has strengthened relations between 
the United States and Bangladesh by promoting a Bangladesh that is 
peaceful, secure, prosperous, healthy, and democratic. He emphasized 
understanding the diversity of Bangladesh, making visits to each of the 
country's 64 districts. In the United States, he has visited 
Bangladeshi-Americans across the country.
  During his time as Ambassador, Mozena oversaw the largest aid budget 
in Asia outside of Afghanistan and Pakistan, bolstering Bangladeshi 
food security and nutrition, improving health, and increasing capacity 
to cope with climate change, natural disasters, and security 
challenges.
  Beyond Ambassador Mozena's current posting in Dhaka, he had an 
impressive career advancing U.S. interests in South Asia and Africa. He 
previously served in Bangladesh as Political/Economic Counselor from 
1998-2001 and as a Deputy Political Counselor in India

[[Page 373]]

and Pakistan. A member of Senior Foreign Service, Mozena was U.S. 
Ambassador to Angola from 2007-2010 and previously worked in the Office 
of Southern African Affairs from 1993 to 1995, during South Africa's 
transition from apartheid to democracy. Previous postings include 
Lusaka and Kinshasa and a year as a professor at the National War 
College.
  Ambassador Mozena's family has stood by his side as he has pursued 
his career overseas. His wife of 40 years, Grace, is a retired 
elementary school teacher who served with him as a Peace Corps 
volunteer in then-Zaire. Their two children, Anne and Mark, followed 
their father throughout the world. I understand that Mozena also looks 
forward to spending time with the newest addition to his family, a 
granddaughter named Mira, as well as his mother Edna.
  As Ambassador Mozena returns to his family in the United States, we 
recognize his work in Bangladesh and throughout his career as a Foreign 
Service Officer.




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