Bangladesh makes remarkable contributions to the international peace and security, sustainable development, fight against climate change, and in many other areas of the UN’s work and that is why we consider Bangladesh as a very important partner,” said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Hasan Mahmud during their meeting held on 30 May 2024 at UN Headquarters in New York.
The Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation to Bangladesh for its generosity to the Rohingya minorities in different moments of history.
He expressed his worry about the current situation in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, especially with the forced conscription of Rohingya youth and children by the military.
During the bilateral meeting, the Secretary-General also commended Bangladesh for its excellent capacity to adapt and its extreme resilience and expressed the UN’s full support to its graduation processes from LDC to a Middle Income Nation. ‘The UN is entirely on your side’, he added.
Hon’ble Foreign Minister Hasan expressed his appreciation to the Secretary-General for his leadership in addressing the difficult challenges facing the world today, including the conflict in Gaza.
He also solicited the UN’s continued advocacy in maintaining the global spotlight on the Rohingya crisis as well as in improving the conditions in Myanmar for the safe, sustainable repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas with dignity to their homes in Rakhine.
Hon’ble Foreign Minister also thanked the Secretary-General for the strong partnership between Bangladesh and the UN for the last 50 years and for supporting the transformative development of Bangladesh under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He also expressed Bangladesh’s commitment to share its knowledge and experience in various fields including climate adaptation, green energy transition, disaster preparedness, and response, among others. The Foreign Minister also extended his invitation to the Secretary-General to visit Bangladesh this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s membership to the UN.