Dhaka, March 27 -- Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called on Asia to "stand united" to build a system to retrieve and return money laundered from Bangladesh, which has been a "victim of corruption and illicit financial flows".

Speaking at the Baoa Forum for Asia (BFA) on his four-day trip to China on Thursday, Yunus said: "These corrupt practices cost developing countries an estimated $1 trillion annually which is multiple times more than the total ODA they receive."

"Asia should stand united to establish a multilateral mediation mechanism for asset recovery and return," he said.

"This forum takes place at a critical juncture. Global governance under multilateralism is being questioned. Geopolitical tensions are rising. Climate change...