UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (IPS) – Dr Muhammad Yunus, senior adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, appealed to the international community to work with a ‘new Bangladesh’ in his first major speech at the United Nations. We cooperate on global issues.
Yunus arrived earlier this week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. During his four days here, Yunus held meetings with various world leaders, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US President Joe Biden. This indicates that there is good support for him and what he represents. On Friday, Yunus addressed the general assembly in his native language, Bangla.
“I stand in this House because of the groundbreaking changes Bangladesh witnessed in July and August this year,” Yunus said. “The ‘power of the common people,’ especially the power of our youth, has provided our country with the opportunity to reform many systems and institutions.”
Bangladesh is currently going through a major turning point after anti-government protests broke out in July this year and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted. The protest movement began as a call for government reform and morphed into a broader movement opposing the government’s retaliatory tactics and deepening corruption within the executive branch and law enforcement agencies.
Shortly after Hasina left on August 5, it was announced that an interim government would be inaugurated with an agenda to implement, among other things, sweeping reforms to law enforcement and government administration. Yunus was invited by the protest movement to head the interim government due to his decades of experience in the economic and civil society fields, his reputation as a Nobel Prize winner, and his recognition from the international community. He took office in Dhaka on September 12, 2024.
Yunus said the new government would be committed to promoting and protecting fundamental rights and ensuring good governance across all sectors. Yunus said that since taking office the new government has already launched independent commissions on the electoral process, judicial system and law.
“I want to assure you that my government will comply with all international, regional and bilateral agreements to which Bangladesh is a party. Bangladesh will continue to remain an active supporter of multilateralism with the United Nations at its core,” he said.
As the unrest in Bangladesh unfolded over several weeks, the United Nations offered to support reform efforts in the country and seek accountability and justice for lives affected during the protests.
In particular, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk dispatched a fact-finding team to Bangladesh to investigate human rights violations that occurred during the protests last July, and Yunus expressed his gratitude for this.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh joining the United Nations. Yunus spoke about Bangladesh’s participation in the United Nations through cooperation with peacekeeping forces. Bangladesh is the third largest contributor of peacekeepers among member countries. Yunus also mentioned the culture of peace resolution passed by the 20021 General Assembly and the 1999 microcredit resolution.
In his speech, Yunus also mentioned the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis, in which Bangladesh has hosted more than 1.2 million refugees in seven years. He called for the international community’s continued support for humanitarian efforts for the refugee community, adding that the community and Bangladesh should work together to ensure “a dignified and sustainable return” to Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Yunus called for new forms of cooperation among all stakeholders. He noted that this could be achieved by countries integrating and sharing resources and capabilities to “harness their collective power.”
“Time demands new attitudes, new values and new agreements from all actors and stakeholders, both communities and countries, developed and developing countries,” he said.
Yunus also noted that through cooperation, developing countries, such as those in the Global South, are empowered to work towards innovative solutions. “It is also increasingly necessary for the Global South to make our voices heard. It deserves equal space and focus in shaping and steering the global agenda,” he pointed out.
Concluding his speech, Yunus called on the world to share resources and solutions to work together to address the complex and interconnected challenges the world must address, and in doing so, safeguard the rights and dignity of all people.
“Let us work together to advance the proposition of social enterprise to end all forms of inequality and discrimination within and across countries, especially in economic interactions.”
IPS UN Secretariat Report
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