New York, 31 May 2024:
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has described Bangladesh as an important partner of the United Nations.
Antonio Guterres said, “Bangladesh has been making significant contributions to many UN activities, including international peace and security, sustainable development, combating climate change, and that is why we consider Bangladesh an important partner of the UN.”
The UN Secretary General expressed deep gratitude for Bangladesh’s generosity towards the Rohingyas. He expressed concern over the current situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, particularly the country’s army’s forced recruitment of young Rohingya.
In this bilateral meeting, the Secretary General praised Bangladesh’s adaptation to climate change and its ability to deal with adversity.
When Foreign Minister Hasan sought the cooperation of the United Nations in dealing with the challenge of Bangladesh’s transition from Qatar, a low-income country, Guterres expressed the full support of the World Organization in this regard, saying, “Bangladesh should be rewarded for this, not punished”.
Foreign Minister Dr. Hassan expressed gratitude to the Secretary-General for his leadership in addressing the ongoing world’s toughest challenges, including the Palestinian conflict in Gaza. He said that the way the UN Secretary General himself appeared there to avoid conflict in Rafah, the peace-loving people of the world appreciated him.
At this time, the foreign minister urged the United Nations to continue its strong role in maintaining the world’s spotlight on the Rohingya crisis, the safe and sustainable repatriation with the status of about 1.3 million Rohingya displaced from Myanmar and sheltered in Bangladesh and improving the conflict situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine.
When the UN Secretary General praised the outstanding progress of Bangladesh in the last decade, Dr. Hasan told Secretary General Guterres that due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s foresight and efficient leadership, Bangladesh has long surpassed Pakistan in all indicators including social, economic, human indicators and India has also surpassed India in many indicators in the last few years. India has also surpassed India in per capita income in 2021 according to International Monetary Fund statistics, he pointed out.
Foreign Minister Hasan thanked the UN Secretary General for the strong partnership and development assistance between Bangladesh and the United Nations over the past 50 years and cordially invited Guterres to visit Bangladesh on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s accession to the United Nations.
Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhit, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York, foreign minister’s travel companions and mission officials were present in the meeting.