Bangladesh and Libya have taken a significant step toward a bilateral agreement that would guarantee social protection fund benefits for thousands of Bangladeshi workers employed in the North African country, according to an official statement issued Thursday by the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Libya, Major General Md. Habib Ullah, met with Libya's Deputy Minister of Social Affairs, Engineer Ali Emhamed Al-Nadhuri, on April 15, where both sides agreed to pursue a formal institutional framework to resolve longstanding grievances of Bangladeshi migrant workers over access to the Libyan Social Security Fund — known locally as Sunduq al-Daman al-Ijtimaʿi.

Ambassador Habib Ullah told the deputy minister that a large number of Bangladeshi nationals are legally employed across Libya and that they regularly contribute to the Social Security Fund as part of the work permit (iqama) renewal process.

Despite consistent contributions, workers routinely face procedural and administrative hurdles when attempting to access the fund's benefits — effectively denying them entitlements they have already paid for.

Deputy Minister Al-Nadhuri welcomed the ambassador, praised Bangladeshi workers for their skill, professionalism and contribution to multiple sectors of the Libyan economy, and underscored the need for a formal agreement to translate the fund's stated protections into practical reality.

The two sides also discussed broader areas of bilateral social cooperation, including elderly welfare, women's empowerment, and poverty alleviation — with both parties agreeing to formalise collaboration through regular exchange visits and institutional engagements.

Libya remains a major destination for Bangladeshi migrant labour, with workers concentrated in construction, services and various industrial sectors.

The proposed agreement, if concluded, would provide legal recourse for workers to claim insurance benefits in the event of workplace injury, illness or job loss.

The meeting was also attended by senior directors from Libya's Ministry of Social Affairs' Department of International Relations and Planning and the First Secretary (Labour) of the Bangladesh Embassy.