United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Sunday said the entire reform initiative is completely a “homegrown” process and it will remain the same, noting that Bangladesh’s friendly partners and well-wishers back the reform agenda. “The reform process is fully a homegrown one. We are maintaining the highest transparency,” he told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy while responding to a question. Earlier, the electoral reform commission, police reform commission, judiciary reform commission, anti-corruption commission reform commission, public administration reform commission and constitutional reform commission submitted their reports and a national consensus building commission was formed.  EU to support Bangladesh in holding elections meeting international standards Press Secretary Alam said the consensus building commission held its first meeting and there will be more in the coming days. He said there will be intensive consultations between the political parties and consensus building commission. “You see the whole process is homegrown,” Alam said, adding that in some areas technical support may be required. “We have not said yet whether we will accept technical support or not. But it is fully homegrown reforms involving our people and experts.” The Press Secretary said the interim government remains transparent with adequate openness and this whole process will remain homegrown. As the country undergoes important reforms and transitions, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres assured that the UN stands ready to assist in fostering peace, national dialogue, trust and healing. Reforms to make Bangladesh one of the perfect democracies in world, says Guterres before departing Dhaka "You can count on the UN to be your steadfast partner, working alongside the people of Bangladesh to help build a sustainable and equitable future for all," he said during his just-concluded visit. CA’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Ahammad Foyez were also present.  

The interim government on Wednesday said UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ scheduled visit from March 13-16 would help redouble global efforts to find an early solution to the Rohingya crisis bringing the crisis to global attention again. “This is an important visit for Bangladesh. We firmly believe that the visit will help bring the crisis to the global spotlight. We expect the UN chief will give a good message to that end,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters at a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy ahead of the UN chief's second visit to Bangladesh.   Alam said the interim government led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus from the very beginning is working to ensure that the Rohingya crisis comes to the global map again despite there being other global crises. “The government wants to make sure that the global focus is there,” he said, adding that the Chief Adviser is highlighting the Rohingya crisis with the international dignitaries. The Press Secretary said the government wants early resolution of the Rohingya crisis so that they can return to their place of origin in Myanmar’s Rakhine State with safety and dignity. “It is a top priority of the interim government.”   Alam said the UN chief, who is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 5pm on Thursday, will have a bilateral meeting with Dr Yunus on Friday morning before they together travel to Cox’s Bazar to visit the Rohingya camp. Gambia seeks Bangladesh support in pursuing genocide case against Myanmar He said the humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas declined sharply and hoped that the visit will help find some ways to address the issue and efforts will be redoubled to mobilize aids for the Rohingyas. “We do no not want to see any disruption of funds flow. We do no not want to see their nutritional needs compromised.” Without urgent new funding, monthly rations must be halved to US$6 per person, down from US$12.50 per person – just as refugees prepare to observe Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, said the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) recently. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned of a critical funding shortfall for its emergency response operations in Bangladesh, jeopardising food assistance for over one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. All Rohingyas receive vouchers that are redeemed for their choice of food at designated retailers in the camps. To sustain full rations, WFP urgently requires US$15 million for April, and US$81 million until the end of 2025. Alam said the visit will also be helpful for mobilizing global support ahead of the UN international conference on the Rohingya crisis to be held in September. He said Finland and Malaysia have also joined as co-sponsors of the event. Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said the UN chief will have two working days mainly on Friday and Saturday though he arrives at 5pm on Thursday. Sharing their engagements in the Rohingya camp, Azad said they expect 1 lakh Rohingya people will join iftar with the Chief Adviser and UN chief together.  Guterres and Dr Yunus will also take part in an Iftar meal with refugees and members of the Bangladeshi host community, recognising the generosity of Bangladesh in sheltering nearly one million Rohingya who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar. The Chief Adviser will leave Dhaka for Cox’s Bazar in the morning (March 14) and return to Dhaka in the evening (same day), Azad said. As part of his annual Ramadan solidarity visit, Guterres will also meet young representatives from civil society. Bangladesh, Japan discuss PPP projects, transport cooperation The Secretary-General has made solidarity visits an annual tradition, beginning during his decade-long tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, when he regularly observed Ramadan alongside displaced and marginalised communities. “Every Ramadan, I undertake a solidarity visit and fast with a Muslim community around the globe. These missions remind the world of the true face of Islam,” Guterres said in his message. “Ramadan embodies the values of compassion, empathy and generosity. It is an opportunity to reconnect with family and community…and I always come away even more inspired by the remarkable sense of peace that fills this season,” he added. UN chief Guterres, in a recent letter to Dr Yunus, expressed the hope that the high-level conference on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar will renew global focus and help develop broader solutions for their plight. The United Nations will continue to mobilise the international community to support Bangladesh as a host to the Rohingya, Guterres said. “I will continue to exercise my good offices, including through my Special Envoy on the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, to work closely with regional actors, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other stakeholders, towards a political solution to the crisis in Myanmar, including creating conditions conducive to the safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya to Rakhine,” he wrote. The UN chief has requested his senior managers to provide guidance to the United Nations Country Teams in Bangladesh and Myanmar on how they can maximize humanitarian aid and livelihood support to communities in Rakhine. FA urges Rohingya repatriation roadmap among stakeholders The United Nations will prioritise engagement on this issue, including through the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, in Myanmar, to enable safe, rapid, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Rakhine and throughout Myanmar.” “We await the agreed outcomes and plans for the conference, following Member State consultations, to understand how the United Nations system can best support the process.” He thanked Dr Yunus for his letter, dated 4 February 2025, which was shared with him by High Representative for the Rohingya Crisis and Priority Affairs Khalilur Rahman during their meeting on 7 February. The UN chief also reiterated the strong solidarity of the United Nations with Bangladesh and their support for the transition process under Dr Yunus’ leadership. He said he shared Bangladesh’s concerns regarding the impact of the Rohingya crisis on Bangladesh and the region, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Rakhine.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for embracing Gandhi’s values and working across cultures and borders to build a better, more peaceful future. "Let us walk this path together, in solidarity, as one human family," he said in a message marking the International Day of Non-violence that falls on October 2. The International Day of Non-Violence celebrates not only Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, but the values he embodied that echo across decades: peace, mutual respect, and the essential dignity shared by every person. Read: Peace is the only practical way to a better, fairer world for all: UN Chief "Sadly, our world is not living up to those values," Guterres said. He said the world is going through growing conflicts and climate chaos. "Poverty, hunger and deepening inequalities. Prejudice, racism and rising hate speech. And a morally bankrupt global financial system that entrenches poverty and stymies recovery for developing countries," he mentioned. Read: Divisions among major powers since Russia invaded Ukraine must be addressed: UN Chief The UN chief laid emphasis on investing in people’s health, education, decent jobs and social protection. On the International Day of Non-violence, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, also highlighted the importance of supporting developing countries as they build resilient infrastructure and protect populations from the impacts of climate change, while also accelerating the transition from planet-killing fossil fuels to renewable energy. "Gandhi’s life and example reveal a timeless pathway to a more peaceful and tolerant world," said the UN chief. Read Let's build a more just, thriving workforce leaving no one behind: Guterres

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has urged the international community to unite against the perpetual holding of nuclear weapons by a handful of states in total disregard of the safety and security of humanity. “We hope that the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would produce an outcome that would facilitate the universality and implementation of the Treaty to make the world free from the threat of nuclear weapons,” he said. The foreign minister was speaking at the 10th NPT Review Conference held at the UNGA hall in the UN headquarters Monday. Referring to the clarion call to emancipate the world from the scourge of nuclear war, made by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his historic maiden speech at the UN General Assembly in 1974, Momen said, “That forms the cornerstone of Bangladesh’s total and unwavering commitment to general and complete disarmament of nuclear weapons which is also a constitutional obligation of Bangladesh”. The foreign minister reiterated Bangladesh’s support to the effective implementation of the NPT through its three pillars -nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Read:Bangladesh eagerly waiting to welcome UN rights chief Bachelet: Shahriar

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for working together to build a more just and thriving workforce, rescue the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind. The UN chief convened a Transforming Education Summit in September that will bring together world leaders, youth and other education actors. "Guided by the United Nations Youth 2030 strategy, I urge everyone to act for youth skills development as a priority, at the Summit and beyond," he said wishing all a happy World Youth Skills Day. Guterres said young people are drivers of change and must be fully engaged in decisions affecting their future. Also read: Around 3 in 4 youth lack skills needed for employment, new report says He highlighted the importance of transforming youth skills for the future of work. "Young people are disproportionately impacted by interlinked global crises, from climate change to conflicts to persistent poverty," said the UN chief. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these fragilities. In 2020 alone, youth employment fell by 39 million, he said. Today, 24 million young people remain at risk of not returning to school. The pandemic also accelerated the transformation of the labour market, adding uncertainty and widening the digital divide. Also read: There're no real democratic societies without press freedom: Guterres "We must ensure the right of young people to effective and inclusive education, training, and lifelong learning. That requires ramping up youth skills development, while investing in Technical Vocational Education and Training, broadband connectivity, and digital skills," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a more holistic approach to road safety. He made the remarks at a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on improving road safety on Thursday. Guterres said that road fatalities are closely linked to poor infrastructure, unplanned urbanization, lax social protection and health care systems, limited road safety literacy and persistent inequalities both within and between countries. Also read: Perilous roads in Bangladesh; 6,284 killed in 2021: RSF Meanwhile, he pointed out that unsafe roads are a key obstacle to development. "Traffic accidents can push entire families into poverty through either the loss of a breadwinner or the costs associated with lost income and prolonged medical care," he said, noting that developing countries lose between 2 and 5 percent of GDP every year because of them. UN agencies have set goals of cutting road traffic deaths and injuries by half by 2030 and promote sustainable mobility with safety at its core. To achieve the goals need more ambitious and urgent action to reduce the biggest risks such as speeding, and increased financing for sustainable and safe infrastructure and investments in cleaner mobility and greener urban planning, the UN chief said. "And we need to adopt a more holistic approach to road safety," he stated. "This means better integrating road safety in national policies - from education, health, and transport to climate mitigation, land-use planning, and disaster response," he said. The secretary-general called on all member states to accede to UN road safety conventions and implement whole-of-society action plans, taking a strong prevention approach. He also urged all donors to scale up much-needed financial and technical contributions through the UN Road Safety Fund. Also read: Road accidents kill 4, injure 7 in five districts "Together, we can save lives, support development, and steer our world to safer roads ahead, leaving no one behind," he said.

The war in Ukraine is aggravating a triple food, energy and financial crisis across Africa, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. It is a human tragedy which can have "a dramatic impact on economies, in particular, those of developing countries," Guterres said during his recent visit to Senegal's Dakar. The war is driving up global food and fuel prices; senior UN officials are concerned that rising costs will push more people into hunger and could lead to political instability and social unrest in some parts of Africa, where food prices have increased by a third since last year. Before the Russian invasion began in February, the combination of climate change, conflict and the Covid pandemic was already impacting the socio-economic situation in Africa, especially in the Sahel region, which includes Senegal. Guterres said: "We must ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, removing all unnecessary export restrictions," adding that "countries must resist the temptation to hoard and instead release strategic stocks of energy." The UN estimates that a quarter of a billion people could be pushed into extreme poverty this year, caused by the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. International financial institutions have a key role to play and "must urgently provide debt relief by increasing liquidity and fiscal space," the UN Chief said, "so that governments can avoid default and invest in social safety nets and sustainable development for their people." In March 2022, the UN chief established the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) set up in response to the crisis provoked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying that the invasion was producing alarming effects on the world economy already battered by Covid and climate change. The GCRG, calls on countries to find creative ways to finance increased humanitarian and development recovery needs worldwide and to give generously and immediately release funds that they have already pledged. Also read: UN head condemns attacks on civilians during Ukraine visit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Member States and the international community to stand in solidarity with journalists around the world and to demonstrate the political will needed to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists and media workers with the full force of the law. "Today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we commemorate the legacy and achievements of journalists killed in the line of duty, and call for justice for crimes committed against them," he said in a message marking the day on Tuesday. Also read: Adaptation prog can help 10m more vulnerable people in Asia-Pacific: UN Last year, according to UNESCO, 62 journalists around the world were killed just for doing their jobs. Many lost their lives while covering conflict. But in recent years, the number of media workers killed outside conflict zones has risen, said the UN chief. "In many countries, simply investigating corruption, trafficking, human rights violations or environmental issues puts journalists’ lives at risk," he said. Impunity for killing journalists is extremely high. According to UNESCO, almost 9 out of 10 cases go unpunished. Also read: UNDP, BDF launch “Youth Against Corruption” campaign And journalists face countless other threats – ranging from kidnapping, torture and arbitrary detention to disinformation campaigns and harassment, particularly in the digital sphere. Women journalists are at particular risk of online violence, Guterres said. Crimes against journalists have an enormous impact on society as a whole, because they prevent people from making informed decisions, he said. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the shadow pandemic of misinformation, has demonstrated that access to facts and science is literally a matter of life and death. "When access to information is threatened, it sends a disturbing message that undermines democracy and the rule of law," said the UN chief.

The United Nations (UN) has condemned the killing of Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah and sought a proper investigation into it. Mohib (44) was allegedly shot to death at a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazaar by unknown gunmen on September 29. Read: US calls for 'full & transparent' probe into Mohib's murder "The United Nations urges the Bangladesh authorities to undertake an investigation and to hold those responsible to account," said Stephanie Tremblay, Associate Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General. The UN also urged continued strong international support for the protection and support to the Rohingya communities anywhere in the world, including in Bangladesh. Read:Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah buried in Ukhiya camp "The UN continues to call for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons. The UN will continue to firmly provide its support in this endeavour." The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also expressed its deep shock and sadness at the killing of Mohib Ullah.

More than 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70% of the global population – a key threshold to ending the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN chief said Thursday. This will take the largest public health effort in history, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said while addressing the first International Forum on Covid-19 Vaccine Cooperation in China through a video message. The global pandemic has already claimed more than 4 million lives. Against this backdrop, Guterres underscored that the world needs a Global Vaccine Plan to at least double vaccine production and ensure equitable distribution, using COVAX as a platform. "We also need an Emergency Task Force – at the G20 level – to coordinate its implementation," he said. Read: Moderna says vaccine 93% effective but seeks 3rd-shot in fall Although the remarkable and rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines offers "great hope" that the devastating pandemic can be overcome, everyone must be reached everywhere, "as quickly as possible," the UN chief said. To double the manufacturing capacity, a much greater sharing of technology and know-how will be needed. It will also require strengthening and building local production capacities around the world and addressing supply chain bottlenecks, according to the UN chief. "This is a matter of fairness and justice – but it is also critical to avoid the emergence of further variants that can resist the current vaccines and undermine national vaccination efforts," he said. Read: Bangladesh to procure 6 crore Sinopharm vaccine doses: Minister The UN chief welcomed agreements signed last month with the UN-led equitable vaccine distribution initiative, COVAX, for the provision of Chinese-developed Sinopharm and Sinovac shots, saying the deal unlocked potential supplies of more than 500 million doses. Also, the top UN official described the first meeting of the International Vaccine Forum as "a critical opportunity to bring together countries with vaccine production capacities, pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers to advance global cooperation on vaccines."