United News of Bangladesh

Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, has assumed the role of the Chair of the Bureau of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the first time.  Since the operationalisation of UNHCR’s Executive Committee in 1959, Bangladesh has never before served in the ExCom Bureau, the four-member leadership body that guides the work of the Committee and facilitates consensus on global refugee and displacement issues.  Bangladesh’s inclusion in the Bureau of the Executive Committee and its assumption of the leadership role there for the first time mark a significant milestone for the country in the international arena, said the Bangladesh Mission in Geneva. It carries particular significance given Bangladesh’s continued hosting of approximately 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar and its sustained advocacy for their safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return. Bangladesh has assumed the role of the Chair at a critical time for the global refugee protection system, as record levels of displacement, growing humanitarian needs, and severe funding shortfalls place increasing pressure on host countries and international response efforts.  Bangladesh brings to the role the perspective of a country that has shouldered a significant humanitarian responsibility while consistently advocating for greater international solidarity and burden-sharing. During consultations within the Asia-Pacific Group, Bangladesh emerged as the unanimous regional candidate and was formally seconded by Algeria and Austria, each representing a different regional group, which underscores the wide cross-regional support for Bangladesh’s leadership.  Ambassador Sobhan’s nomination was subsequently endorsed by all 110 ExCom member states.  The election of Bangladesh as the Chair reflects the confidence placed in the newly elected leadership of Bangladesh and its growing influence within the multilateral system, said the Bangladesh Mission. A career diplomat Ambassador Sobhan has served in Bangladesh missions in Rome, Kolkata and Geneva, and as Ambassador to Jordan and High Commissioner to Canada.  Previously, she served as Director General of the United Nations Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she worked closely with UN agencies, including UNHCR, on the Rohingya response.  She also served as Member Secretary of the National Task Force on Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), which oversees the coordination of national policies, humanitarian responses, and related activities concerning Rohingyas living in Bangladesh. The assumption reflects the international community’s recognition of Bangladesh’s constructive leadership on humanitarian and forced displacement issues. 

Acknowledging common risks posed by climate change and environmental challenges, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal Dol Prasad Aryal on Wednesday said environmental risks affecting the Himalayan region and coastal areas are shared concerns for the region and called for greater cooperation in mitigating them. The Nepalese Speaker appreciated Bangladesh’s remarkable gains in economic growth and infrastructure development noting that Bangladesh’s development experiences could contribute to Nepal’s own development journey. He made the remarks when Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Md Shafiqur Rahman met him at his office in Kathmandu. The Speaker said the growing role of sports in bringing the peoples of the two countries closer together by fostering friendship and understanding among the youth. He further emphasized the importance of tourism, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people contacts in strengthening bilateral relations. Ambassador Shafiqur congratulated the Speaker on assuming his new role and conveyed warm greetings from the Speaker of Parliament of Bangladesh. He also thanked the Speaker for Nepal’s support to Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman who has recently been elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.  

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday said the government is maintaining diplomatic engagement with countries hosting undocumented Bangladeshi migrants to expand opportunities for their regularisation stressing that the issue ultimately depends on the laws and policies of the respective host states. Responding to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker Md Jahandar Ali Miah (Madaripur-3) in Parliament, he said Bangladeshi expatriates are making an outstanding contribution to national development and remain a key driving force behind the country's economic progress. The Minister said the present government attaches the highest importance to the welfare, rights and dignity of Bangladeshi nationals living overseas. He said Bangladesh continues diplomatic contacts and discussions at various levels with countries where Bangladeshi nationals are residing or working without proper documentation. "Within the framework of the laws and regulations of those countries, we are pursuing diplomatic engagement so that opportunities for regularisation can be expanded for eligible and employed Bangladeshi nationals," he told Parliament. Dr Rahman said Bangladeshi missions abroad are actively providing consular support and facilitating participation in regularisation and amnesty programmes announced by host countries. "Whenever a country announces an amnesty or regularisation programme for irregular migrants, our embassies provide necessary information, guidance and overall assistance to undocumented Bangladeshis residing there," he said. Referring to recent developments in Europe, he said the initiative of Spain to legalise nearly 500,000 undocumented migrants could benefit around 20,000 Bangladeshis. "As you are aware, the Spanish government has undertaken an initiative to grant legal status to approximately 500,000 irregular migrants. As a result, an estimated 20,000 Bangladeshi citizens are expected to gain opportunities for legal residence and employment," he said. However, the Minister emphasised that the regularisation of undocumented migrants remains a sovereign decision of the host country. "The legalisation of irregular migrants residing in a foreign state primarily depends on that country's own laws, policies and decisions. Therefore, despite all efforts and goodwill on the part of the Government of Bangladesh and its embassies, regularisation cannot be guaranteed through unilateral initiatives by Bangladesh alone," he said. "Irregular migration often exposes our citizens to human trafficking, labour exploitation, legal complications and other risks. For this reason, the government gives the highest priority to legal, safe and orderly migration," he said. Dr Rahman said Bangladesh is working to preserve existing labour markets and open new ones through bilateral and multilateral engagements with countries in Europe, East Asia, Africa and South America. He informed the House that memorandums of understanding are currently being processed with Cambodia, Thailand, Malta, Mauritius, Spain, Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Fiji, Albania, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Discussions are also underway with Guyana regarding the recruitment of healthcare workers, he added. Dr Rahman underscored skills development as the cornerstone of labour market expansion. "The government considers skills development to be the foundation for expanding overseas employment opportunities," he said, adding that special emphasis is being placed on international-standard technical training, language education, skills certification and workforce preparation based on global market demand. He noted that skills development programmes have already begun under the European Union Talent Partnership initiative, while free Japanese language training has been introduced at Technical Training Centres (TTCs) across Bangladesh. The Minister also highlighted a memorandum of understanding signed between Bangladesh and the Philippines on April 1, 2026, covering nursing training and cooperation in the health sector. In addition, he said, Australia has recently launched a six-million-dollar project to enhance the skills of Bangladeshi workers by drawing on Australia's TAFE and TVET experience. "We believe that every Bangladeshi working abroad is a valuable national asset and an important partner in our economic progress. But irregular migration is harmful both to the migrant and to the country's reputation," he said. "To prevent irregular migration from the outset, we are working with the International Organization for Migration and also engaging bilaterally with various countries," he added.  

Urging India to stop brutal expulsions, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday said both Bangladesh and Indian governments should ensure that border management never again comes at the cost of basic human dignity. The New York-based rights body said the Indian authorities are forcibly expelling ‘ethnic Bengali residents, mostly Muslims’ from West Bengal state, to Bangladesh without basic due process. “No one, whatever their nationality, should be left to spend nights in an open field between two lines of armed border guards,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Ganguly said the Indian authorities are cruelly dumping families into Bangladesh or leaving them stranded at the border, ignoring their basic human rights. “The government (of India) should stop unlawfully expelling people, ensure procedural safeguards, engage with Bangladeshi authorities to verify citizenship, and end this dismaying animosity toward Muslims.” Bangladeshi border guards have reported that since June 1, 2026, they have foiled 21 attempts by the BSF to push more than 200 people, including children, into Bangladesh’s border districts. The chief minister of India’s West Bengal state, Suvendu Adhikari, who took office after the Hindu-majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the March elections, said that the government under his “detect, delete and deport” policy had detained hundreds of “Bangladeshi infiltrators” and forced nearly 5,000 people “to go back.” The Human Rights Watch interviewed nine people who witnessed Indian border security troops bring groups of people to the border at night and push them through cuts in the barbed wire fencing into Bangladeshi territory. In several cases, Indian border guards eventually allowed people to return after the Bangladesh border force denied them entry, it said in a statement. Just ahead of March elections in West Bengal, India’s election commission had carried out a hurried and controversial revision of voter lists that dropped over nine million names, triggering threats of detention and deportation, said HRW. A flawed and discriminatory citizenship verification process in Assam state in 2019 had already left over 1.9 million people stateless and thousands of Bengali-speaking residents of the state have been held in detention centers, while many were expelled unlawfully. The BJP chief minister in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has repeatedly lashed out at Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state, calling them “illegal immigrants.” Recently he said: “We take them to a convenient location near the border, and literally push them across the border. Now, such an atmosphere has been created in Assam that several illegal Bangladeshis have started going back on their own.” Indian officials contend that numerous Bangladeshis are living in India illegally and have offered to help them return voluntarily. Genuinely voluntary repatriation, including with assistance, is compatible with international human rights standards, but India should not coerce repatriation or forcibly expel people, the HRW said. “Nor should they, as some of those interviewed allege, strip them of documentation, money, and personal belongings.” Bangladeshi authorities have said they will not accept people pushed across the border outside legal channels, insisting that any returns must follow proper verification and established repatriation procedures, according to the HRW. Leaving people without food, water, shelter, or medical care may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, it said. The Indian government should ensure access to fundamental procedural safeguards for anyone subject to expulsion. This includes access to full information about the grounds for deportation, the right to legal representation, and an opportunity to appeal a decision to expel them. Expelling or stranding children violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which obligates states to respect children’s right to preserve their nationality and prohibits their arbitrary deprivation of liberty. India and Bangladesh have bilateral mechanisms that provide for verification of nationality and orderly transfer of nationals. Indian authorities’ circumvention of these procedures has repeatedly left people trapped between two border forces in conditions that violate their fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said.

Appreciating Bangladesh's rapid economic growth and investment-friendly environment, South Korean Ambassador Kim Ji-joon on Wednesday expressed his country's interest in investing in Bangladesh's electronics manufacturing and technology sectors. He also highlighted South Korea's interest in expanding cooperation and investment in renewable energy, information technology, manufacturing, and other promising sectors. The Ambassador discussed the issues during a meeting with the Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to further strengthen the longstanding friendly relations and enhance bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and South Korea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said both sides emphasised the importance of deepening collaboration in trade, investment, technology, industrialization, infrastructure development, human resource development, and skills enhancement. Humaiun Kobir praised the growing economic and development partnership between Bangladesh and South Korea and underscored the need to boost trade and investment, facilitate technology transfer, and further strengthen industrial cooperation. He welcomed increased South Korean investment in Bangladesh and assured the government's full support in facilitating such initiatives. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining close cooperation on issues of mutual interest and expressed optimism about elevating Bangladesh-South Korea relations to new heights.

Director General for Asia and the Pacific at Federal Foreign Office of Germany Frank Hartmann has said Germany and Europe are willing and eager to engage more with Bangladesh and get to know the country better. “To that end, I would like to invite our Bangladeshi counterparts to come visit us in Germany,” he said reflecting on his recent visit to Bangladesh. With a packed two-day itinerary, Hartmann and Head of the South Asia Division Steffen Koch engaged with representatives from the government of Bangladesh, civil society organisations, the private sector, diplomatic missions and more, said the German Embassy in Dhaka on Tuesday. The two senior officials from Germany’s Federal Foreign Office (FFO) visited Bangladesh from June 9 to 11. “This is my first visit to Bangladesh. I had very good talks to political and economic leaders here, as well as civil society organizations. Bangladesh has gone through a difficult political transition in recent years, but it led to a successful outcome of a new democratically elected government,” Hartmann said. “Visits like these open doors for deepened collaboration between Germany and Bangladesh,” said German Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Rüdiger Lotz. “It was an honour to host Hartmann and Koch and accompany them on their engagements throughout this trip. I hope Bangladesh’s beauty, hospitality and immense potential will inspire our guests from Berlin to visit again,” he said.

Bangladesh’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Geneva Nahida Sobhan, on Tuesday said Bangladesh remains proud to champion social justice, multilateralism, the democratization of global labour governance, and a ‘Culture of Peace’ within the United Nations system and beyond. In a speech that resonated across the conference hall, Ambassador Sobhan reminded delegates that without peace, there can be no social justice. “Peace remains the most fundamental precondition for decent work,” she said while speaking at the closing session of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC). The Ambassador spoke in her capacity as Vice-President of the Government Group of the Conference. The ILC is the world’s largest gathering focused on the world of work, bringing together more than 5,000 delegates from 187 countries. She called for a more democratic and representative ILO, human-centred governance of artificial intelligence, greater focus on job creation and decent work, stronger support for developing and least-developed countries, and a global Culture of Peace among workers, employers, and governments. Drawing inspiration from the Albert Thomas Monument in Geneva, she reminded the Conference that “labour is not a commodity.” In one of the most memorable moments of the Conference, she highlighted a stark global paradox: “We spend more than USD 350 per person on guns and bullets, yet fail to provide even USD 2 a day to millions living in poverty or searching for work.” Ambassador Sobhan has become the first Bangladeshi to be elected Vice-President of the International Labour Conference (ILC), representing the Government Group of the ILO’s Member States.

President of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) Abdulhadi Turus has highlighted the huge potential of the youth in Bangladesh and reaffirmed YTB’s commitment to supporting Bangladeshi students and young professionals through scholarships, training, and leadership programmes. Ambassador of Bangladesh to Türkiye Amanul Haq called on Abdulhadi Turus in Ankara on Monday when they discussed expanding cooperation in education, youth development, cultural exchange, and people-to-people connectivity. Ambassador Haq appreciated YTB's continued support for Bangladeshi students and proposed increasing scholarship opportunities, as many Bangladeshi students are now interested in studying in Türkiye, and establishing a formal framework of cooperation through a memorandum of understanding, said the Bangladesh Embassy in Türkiye. Both sides agreed to explore opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The meeting wrapped up with a mutual pledge to further consolidate the age-old brotherly relations between Bangladesh and Türkiye.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen visited Rajshahi on Tuesday to experience the region’s renowned mangoes firsthand and learn about the district’s mango industry, agricultural potential and local development initiatives. The ambassador, accompanied by a four-member delegation, arrived at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi on a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the morning. From the airport, the delegation travelled by road to the historic Baneshwar Mango Market in Puthia upazila before heading to the Bangladesh Police Academy. At around 9 am, the US Ambassador visited Baneshwar Mango Market, one of the largest mango trading hubs in northern Bangladesh. During the visit, the ambassador visited several wholesale outlets, exchanged views with mango growers and traders, and learned about different varieties of mangoes produced in the region. He also sampled several locally grown mango varieties. Traders and farmers briefed him on mango production, marketing and export prospects in Rajshahi. Speaking to journalists, the US Ambassador said, “This is my first visit to Rajshahi as ambassador, although I visited the city once in 2020. This time, I specifically came during mango season because I wanted to taste Rajshahi’s famous mangoes. I am truly delighted to be here.” The ambassador said he comes from an agricultural state in the United States and therefore values the opportunity to visit places where agricultural products are grown and to experience them firsthand. Highlighting the export potential of Bangladeshi mangoes, he said Americans are very fond of mangoes, but most mangoes available in the US market are sold in frozen form. “Fresh mangoes like those available in Rajshahi are not easily found in the United States,” he said. He also stressed the importance of developing an improved cold-chain system and storage facilities to expand mango exports, saying enhanced preservation and export infrastructure could create greater opportunities for Bangladeshi mangoes in international markets. Local traders and farmers expressed hope that the US ambassador’s visit would help promote Rajshahi mangoes globally and contribute to expanding their export market.

Bangladesh Consul General in Los Angeles Kazi M. Jabed Iqbal has recently visited the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and held a meeting with senior representatives of the David Geffen School of Medicine’s Global Health Program and the UCLA International Institute. The discussions focused on exploring potential areas of collaboration between UCLA and relevant institutions in Bangladesh in healthcare, medical education, research, and capacity building. Iqbal highlighted Bangladesh’s priorities in cancer management and research, child health and development, thalassemia prevention and treatment, medical technology transfer, research development, and professional training for healthcare professionals. The UCLA team shared insights into their global health initiatives, emphasizing capacity building, academic exchanges, evidence-based research, and long-term institutional partnerships. Both sides expressed strong interest in developing collaborative programmes that could contribute to strengthening Bangladesh’s healthcare sector and research capabilities. The meeting ended on a positive note, with discussions on future exchange visits, faculty engagement, joint research initiatives, and the potential development of formal institutional partnerships. Iqbal expressed appreciation for the warm hospitality extended by Dr. Sadath Sayeed, Director of the Global Health Program; Zoe Stathopoulos, Director of Operations; Kathryn Paul, Assistant Vice Provost and Director for International Collaborations; and Kevan Wilbanks, Special Assistant to the Vice Provost. The visit marks an encouraging step towards enhancing Bangladesh-UCLA cooperation in health and medical sciences and reflects a shared commitment to advancing healthcare through international collaboration, said the Bangladesh Mission in a media release.