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.