United News of Bangladesh

Mexico’s candidate for Director-General of UNESCO (2025–2029) Gabriela Ramos Patina on Sunday met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and praised Bangladesh’s progress in education, culture and inclusive development. “Bangladesh has demonstrated how resilience, policy commitment and a focus on equity can drive meaningful change and UNESCO sees this country not just as a member, but as a partner with real promise,” she said during the courtesy meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna. Mexican non-resident Ambassador to Bangladesh Federico Salas and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting. Patina acknowledged Prof Yunus’ leadership during a critical transition. “Your appointment carries great hope—not only for Bangladesh but also for those who believe in transparent, principled governance.” Dhaka, Beijing call for transforming high-level talks into actionable projects The Chief Adviser welcomed Patina’s visit and candidacy, saying, “We are in the midst of a difficult but essential transformation. The stakes are high, but we are committed to restoring people’s trust and building institutions that serve them.” Prof Yunus noted that the recent BIDA Investment Summit marked a shift in investor confidence. “It was not just a conference; it was a signal that Bangladesh is open, reforming and serious about responsible growth.” Both sides reflected on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Mexico, noting that the milestone opens new avenues for cooperation in education, cultural heritage and climate resilience, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing.

Bangladesh, a land rich in culture and history, proudly hosts several UNESCO World Heritage Sites that reflect its diverse heritage and natural wonders. From the serene Sundarbans—the world’s largest mangrove forest—to the ancient architectural marvels of Bagerhat and Paharpur, these sites are globally recognised for their cultural and ecological significance.  Each heritage site tells a unique story of the country’s past, offering a glimpse into its spiritual, artistic, and environmental legacy. As tourism grows and conservation becomes crucial, these treasures not only attract global admiration but also highlight the importance of preserving history for future generations.  List of World UNESCO Heritage Sites in Bangladesh Here is a closer look at Bangladesh’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat Located in the Bagerhat District in the southwestern region of Bangladesh, the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat is one of the country's most treasured UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Recognised in 1985 under UNESCO's cultural heritage list, this ancient city offers a fascinating glimpse into the Islamic architectural legacy of the Bengal Sultanate era.  Originally known as Khalifatabad, the city was founded in the 15th century by a revered Turkic general and Sufi saint, Ulugh Khan Jahan, who was appointed governor by Sultan Mahmud Shah. Spread across nearly 50 square kilometres, the city flourished along the banks of the Bhairab River near the edge of the Sundarbans and became an urban masterpiece of its time. Read more: Top 15 Heritage Sites of Bangladesh Bagerhat is especially renowned for its incredible brick architecture, with the iconic Sixty Dome Mosque (Shat Gombuj Masjid) standing as the centrepiece. Built using baked bricks, the mosque features 77 domes supported by 60 stone pillars and showcases a distinctive blend of Persian, Arab, and Bengali architectural influences. Beyond its religious function, it also served as a madrasa and assembly hall. 

The nation is observing 'Amar Ekushey', the Language Martyr's Day and the International Mother Language Day on Friday, marking the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes for upholding the dignity of mother tongue Bangla. The day is also being observed around the world as UNESCO recognised Ekushey February as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999. President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar. President Shahabuddin arrived at the Shaheed Minar exactly at 11:59pm and placed a wreath as the clock struck 00:01. DU VC and other university officials met and greeted the president. Chief Adviser Yunus placed a floral wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar shortly after zero hours. Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan welcomed the Chief Adviser upon his arrival at the Central Shaheed Minar. Foreign diplomats based in Dhaka also placed wreaths at the monument in the first hour. Inspector General of Police, Border Guard Bangladesh’s Director General Major General Md Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui also paid profound respect to the language movement heroes at the Shahid Minar at the first hour of February 21. Moreover, several political, social, cultural and voluntary organisations paid their tribute to the martyrs. 10-day 'Amar Ekushey Natyotsab 2025' kicks off at Suhrawardy Udyan Walking barefoot to Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and flowers singing 'Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February', people from all walks of life are paying their respect to the heroes of the Language Movement who sacrificed their lives for achieving the recognition of Bangla as the state language of erstwhile Pakistan of which Bangladesh was a part until its independence in 1971. Earlier in a message, CA Prof Yunus said “On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day, I pay tribute to people of all languages in the world, including Bangla. Since 2000, Bangladesh and UNESCO have been jointly observing this day in a befitting manner.   "Make Languages Count for Sustainable Development’ as this year’s UNESCO topic is justified,” said Yunus. He said the interim government established through the July uprising is working consistently to defend the dignity of the nation and its languages, which are essential to growth and prosperity. “It is also working to ensure that the Bangla language is used in information technology. Textbooks in the mother languages of various ethnic groups, including Braille books, are being distributed free of charge,” he added. On February 21, 1952, students and common people in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then Pakistani government's denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan. Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and several other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firings on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus breaching section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of then Pakistan. The day is a public holiday. CA to open Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Feb 1 National dailies published special supplements marking the day and Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television and private radio stations and television channels are supposed to air special programmes on the occasion. Multi-tier security measures were taken at the Central Shaheed Minar ahead of 21st February.

State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid on Friday said that the tradition of palm leaf scroll painting and etching can be included as UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage and Bangladesh’s National Museum will send proposals in this regard to the global organisation.  “Painting and writing on palm leaves is a unique artistic craft and is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The renowned Bangladeshi artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka — the second daughter of the valiant hero Shaheed Col Jamil who sacrificed his life to save the Father of the Nation and his family — has decorated and designed the palm leaf scrolls based on the long poem 'Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo' by the France-based Bengali playwright Choyon Khairul Habib, symbolizing the various chapters of Bangabandhu's revolutionary life and the historical episodes of the nation. We will send an official proposal to UNESCO for including this procedure as part of its Intangible Cultural Heritage,” the state minister said. The state minister shared his remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of an exclusive exhibition based on the unique project titled “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo”, an epic verse engraved on ‘Taal Patar Puthi’ (manuscript on palm leaves) at the Nalini Kanta Bhattashali Gallery of the National Museum, Shahbagh in the capital. Bangladesh National Museum Director General Md Kamruzzaman, eminent artist Prof Hashem Khan, and Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Prof Nisar Hossain spoke as special guests while the welcome remarks were shared by Choyon Khairul Habib and artist Afrozaa Jamil Konka. “We all know that the palm leaf has multiple uses and the hand fans made with the leaves have been our lifelong companions before the availability of electric fans. The palm leaf scroll which we call ‘Puthi’ in Bengali, has been a great heritage element in our culture and my gratitude goes to Habib for such a wonderful poem on Bangabandhu and Konka for her majestic artistry,” Khalid said.  The engraving artist for the project was Prashant Maharana, a craftsman from the state of Odisha, India. The state minister conveyed his heartfelt thanks and congratulations to Shaheed Colonel Jamil Foundation for taking this great initiative. Choyon Khairul Habib, poet-playwright and the author of “Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo” shared the background story of this epic poem-turned-puthi, saying: “I have highlighted the history of Bangladesh, the evolution of the Bengali community and the nationality alongside the symbolic narrative of Bangabandhu in this poem.” “Since I started writing ‘Bangalir Porichoy Kabbo’, the incentive to preserve the work with palm leaf puthi was in my plan, and the very first person I thought of regarding the illustration was none other than Afrozaa Jamil Konka due to her connection to Bangabandhu through her great patriot father, Shaheed Colonel Jamil, and I can proudly say she did justice to the project.”

The same day (March 23, 2023) that Italy submitted pasta carbonara for inclusion on Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Financial Times published an article in which Italian culinary expert Alberto Grandi claimed that carbonara was developed by Americans residing in Italy shortly after WWII. The claim sparked outrage throughout Italy. “A surrealist attack!” – said the agriculture organisation Coldiretti, as heated social media discussion ensued nationwide, according to a BBC article. So who really created the original carbonara? Italian food author Eleonora Cozzella says, “It was a combination of Italian genius and American resources.” Cozzella spent six years covering National Carbonara Day on April 6, and eventually wrote The Perfect Carbonara, which earned a Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2020, says the BBC. Read More: Activists target Salt Bae’s upscale London steakhouse She interviewed the descendants of innkeepers who fed American soldiers in the neighborhood of Trastevere, just over the Tiber river in Rome, in the late 1940s. US soldiers apparently asked for “spaghetti breakfast” that should have eggs and bacon. Even during the desperate times, Italians could acquire military rations in the black market, including bacon from Americans and egg powder from the British. In 1952, the first recipe for pasta carbonara was published in the United States. Author Patricia Bronté mentioned the Italian restaurant Armando’s, run by chefs Pietro Lencioni and Armando Lorenzini, among her favorite spots in her book “Vittles and Vice: An Incredible Guide to What’s Cooking on Chicago’s Near North Side”. She included recipe of the restaurant’s famous dish, carbonara. “No one has a trademark on the recipe,” Alessandro Pipero, chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Pipero in Rome and one of the “carbonara kings” told BBC. “Honestly, I don’t care who invented it,” he said. The first Italian recipe for carbonara was published in August 1954 in La Cucina Italiana magazine. “And it is a strange one,” Cozzella said in the BBC report. “It has parsley and even gruyere as cheese!” Read More: Homemade Ice Cream Recipes Using Seasonal Fruits for This Summer  “This debate is ridiculous and dangerous,” said Michele Fino, a law professor at Pollenzo's University of Gastronomic Sciences, calling it “old news”. According to Fino, the discussion is harmful because a toxic type of nationalism may be lurking between the pecorino and a piece of guanciale, or maybe deep inside the tubular rigatoni. “It is a sort of banal nationalism that runs through food,” he told BBC. “People consider it unimportant, but it creates a certain climate – we shouldn’t ignore it.”

The UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize is promoting creative economy globally, said Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi SM Mahbubul Alam recently. Mahbubul was speaking at the seminar "Unlocking the Creative Economy" organised by the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) in Karachi on February 28. Read: Japanese Ambassador joins KWE’s Bangladesh operations launching prog FPCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, diplomats of OIC countries, including consuls general of Indonesia and Malaysia, other diplomats from the Consulate General of Iran and Türkiye, ICCIA Secretary General Yusuf Hasan Khalawi, Advisor to the Director General of ICESCO Ahmed Said Bah, eco-system enablers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, including talented women and promising young entrepreneurs were also present. Mahbubul said today, culture and creativity account for 3.1 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and 6.2 percent of all employment in the world. "The cultural and creative economy contributes $2.2 trillion to the global economy and creates employment opportunities to over 30 million people globally, including the OIC countries."

The United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural agency chief on Wednesday called for a global dialogue to find ways to regulate social media companies and limit their role in the spreading of misinformation around the world. Audrey Azoulay, the director general of UNESCO, addressed a gathering of lawmakers, journalists and civil societies from around the world to discuss ways to regulate social media platforms such as Twitter and others to help make the internet a safer, fact-based space. The two-day conference in Paris aims to formulate guidelines that would help regulators, governments and businesses manage content that undermines democracy and human rights, while supporting freedom of expression and promoting access to accurate and reliable information. The global dialogue should provide the legal tools and principles of accountability and responsibility for social media companies to contribute to the “public good,” Azoulay said in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the conference. She added: “It would limit the risks that we see today, that we live today, disinformation (and) conspiracy theories spreading faster than the truth.” The European Union last year passed landmark legislation that will compel big tech companies like Google and Facebook parent Meta to police their platforms more strictly to protect European users from hate speech, disinformation and harmful content. The Digital Services Act is one of the EU’s three significant laws targeting the tech industry. In the United States, the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission have filed major antitrust actions against Google and Facebook, although Congress remains politically divided on efforts to address online disinformation, competition, privacy and more. Filipino journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa told participants in the Paris conference that putting laws into place that would prevent social media companies from “proliferating misinformation on their platforms” is long overdue. Ressa is a longtime critic of social media platforms that she said have put “democracy at risk” and distracted societies from solving problems such climate change and the rise of authoritarianism around the world. By “insidiously manipulating people at the scale that’s happening now, ... (they have) changed our values and it has rippled to cascading failure,” Ressa told the AP in an interview on Wednesday. “If you don’t have a set of shared facts, how do we deal with climate change?” Ressa said. “If everything is debatable, if trust is destroyed (there’s no) meaningful exchange.” She added: “Just a reminder, democracy is not just about talking. It’s about listening. It’s about finding compromises that are impossible in the world of technology today.”

Australia’s environment minister said Tuesday her government will lobby against UNESCO adding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites. Officials from the U.N. cultural agency and the International Union for Conservation of Nature released a report on Monday warning that without “ambitious, rapid and sustained” climate action, the world’s largest coral reef is in peril. The report, which recommended shifting the Great Barrier Reef to endangered status, followed a 10-day mission in March to the famed reef system off Australia’s northeast coast that was added to the World Heritage list in 1981. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the report was a reflection on Australia’s previous conservative government, which was voted out of office in May elections after nine years in power. She said the new center-left Labor Party government has already addressed several of the report’s concerns, including action on climate change. “We’ll very clearly make the point to UNESCO that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way" with an endangered listing, Plibersek told reporters. read more: Coral reefs' survival at stake: Unesco “The reason that UNESCO in the past has singled out a place as at risk is because they wanted to see greater government investment or greater government action and, since the change of government, both of those things have happened,” she added. The new government has legislated to commit Australia to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 43% below the 2005 level by 2030. The previous government only committed to a reduction of 26% to 28% by the end of the decade. Plibersek said her government has also committed 1.2 billion Australian dollars ($798 million) to caring for the reef and has canceled the previous government’s plans to build two major dams in Queensland state that would have affected the reef’s water quality. “If the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, then every coral reef in the world is in danger,” Plibersek said. “If this World Heritage site is in danger, then most World Heritage sites around the world are in danger from climate change.” The report said Australia’s federal government and Queensland authorities should adopt more ambitious emission reduction targets in line with international efforts to limit future warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. Read more: Great Barrier Reef enters crucial period in coral bleaching The minor Greens party, which wants Australia to slash its emissions by 75% by the end of the decade, called for the government to do more to fight climate change in light of the report. Jodie Rummer, a marine biologist at James Cook University in Townville who has worked on the reef for more than a decade, supported calls for Australia to aim for a 75% emissions reduction. “We are taking action, but that action needs to be much more rapid and much more urgent,” Rummer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We cannot claim to be doing all we can for the reef at this point. We aren’t. We need to be sending that message to the rest of the world that we are doing everything that we possibly can for the reef and that means we need to take urgent action on emissions immediately,” she added. Feedback from Australian officials, both at the federal and state level, will be reviewed before Paris-based UNESCO makes any official proposal to the World Heritage committee. In July last year, the previous Australian government garnered enough international support to defer an attempt by UNESCO to downgrade the reef’s status to “in danger” because of damage caused by climate change. The Great Barrier Reef accounts for around 10% of the world’s coral reef ecosystems. The network of more than 2,500 reefs covers 348,000 square kilometers (134,000 square miles). Australian government scientists reported in May that more than 90% of Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed in the latest year was bleached, in the fourth such mass event in seven years. Bleaching is caused by global warming, but this is the reef’s first bleaching event during a La Niña weather pattern, which is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority said in its annual report. Bleaching in 2016, 2017 and 2020 damaged two-thirds of the coral. Coral bleaches as a response to heat stress and scientists hope most of the coral will recover from the latest event.

Some of the world's most iconic glaciers are set to vanish by 2050 due to carbon emissions warming the planet, said a new study by UNESCO. Fifty UNESCO World Heritage sites are home to glaciers, representing about 10 percent of the world's glacier areas, including some of the world's best-known glaciers. They include the highest (next to Mount Everest), the longest (in Alaska), and the last remaining glaciers in Africa. Glaciers in a third of sites are under threat. However, UNESCO said, the rest can still be saved if global temperatures do not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times. The UNESCO study shows that these glaciers have been retreating at an accelerated rate since 2000 due to CO2 emissions. World Heritage glaciers lose on average some 58 billion tons of ice every year – equivalent to the total annual volume of water used in France and Spain together – and are responsible for nearly five percent of observed global sea-level rise. The glaciers under threat are in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania. "Only a rapid reduction in our CO2 emissions levels can save glaciers and the exceptional biodiversity that depends on them. COP27 will have a crucial role to help find solutions to this issue," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said. Also, UNESCO is advocating for the creation of a new international fund for glacier monitoring and preservation – such a fund would support comprehensive research, promote exchange networks between all stakeholders and implement early warning and disaster risk reduction measures. Read more: Melting ice imperils 98% of Emperor penguin colonies by 2100 Half of humanity depends directly or indirectly on glaciers as their water source for domestic use, agriculture, and power. Glaciers are also pillars of biodiversity, feeding many ecosystems. "When glaciers melt rapidly, millions of people face water scarcity and the increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, and millions more may be displaced by the resulting rise in sea levels," said International Union for Conservation of Nature Director General Bruno Oberle.    

Bangladesh's initiative to encourage a culture of innovation by instituting the UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Award  earned plaudits recently,  at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, or Mondiacult 2022, held in Mexico, The final declaration got adopted by the world leaders who agreed to establish an innovation economy, among other things. Organized with the global goal of establishing the role of culture in sustainable development, this international conference was attended by 136 cultural affairs ministers and state minister level leaders, diplomats, cultural activists, organizers and civil society individuals from 150 countries of the world. A delegation of 3 members led by Bangladesh's State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Ambassador of Bangladesh to France and UNESCO Khandaker M Talha and First Secretary Md. Walid bin Kashem participated in the conference. At the conference, Khalid was invited to share his speech at the 'Future of Innovation Economy' Minister-level round table meeting, he thanked UNESCO for formulating the 'UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Award' in the innovation economy sector in 2020. “The innovation economy will play a role as a renewable regulator in the implementation of sustainable development goals and will play an effective role in protecting neglected cultural heritage in different parts of the world,” KM Khalid said at the meeting. Read: Bangladesh elected to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage committee for 4 years He also called for cooperation among international leaders to develop a culture that is safe, accountable, and controlled. A proposal has been made for the teaching of culture in educational institutions as a response to the conference's identification of education and culture as complementary to one another. Additionally, in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, all nations are urged to develop cultural policies and update them as needed. In Bangladesh, the National Culture Policy was formulated in 2006 and is currently undergoing modernization.   Mondiacult 2022 was organized by UNESCO as a continuation of the detailed action plan conducted globally to implement the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The last international cultural conference of this scale was held in Mexico in 1982.