United News of Bangladesh

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that “nobody wins in a trade war,” according to his spokesperson on Friday. The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday introducing “reciprocal tariffs.” The move includes a 10-percent “minimum baseline tariff” and potentially higher duties on selected trade partners, drawing widespread criticism. Responding to questions about the secretary-general’s stance on the White House’s new tariff policy, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “In a trade war, nobody wins.” He expressed concern for the world's most vulnerable nations, stating they are “the least equipped to deal with the current situation.” Dujarric also noted that a global trade conflict would “negatively” affect progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. UK watchdog to probe charity co-founded by Prince Harry In a separate statement released Friday, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) echoed these concerns. It warned that the U.S.-imposed tariffs would hurt vulnerable economies, emphasizing that “the global trade system is entering a critical phase -- threatening growth, investment, and development progress, particularly for the most vulnerable economies,” as major powers move forward with sweeping new trade measures.

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.  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will visit the Rohingya camp together with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday afternoon, will "issue a call" to the international community to step up their humanitarian assistance for these men, women and children who have already suffered so much. He will share an Iftar with the refugees, to be hosted by Dr Yunus. A million Rohingyas will break fast in their camps in Cox's Bazar with Guterres and Chief Adviser Dr Yunus. "Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them and help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I’m in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people hosting them," Guterres said on his Ramadan solidarity visit. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and High Representative of Chief Advisor on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters Dr Khalilur Rahman met with the UN chief at Hotel InterContinental on Friday morning and discussed the issues related to the Rohingya crisis. The UN chief had a bilateral meeting with the chief adviser and they are scheduled to leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Cox’s Bazar by a chartered Biman Bangladesh flight at 11:15am today (Friday), a senior official told UNB. Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon with a packed schedule for Friday and Saturday, featuring a series of meetings and greater engagements in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp, before his departure on Sunday morning. Guterres and Dr Yunus will meet there with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar. UN chief to inspire Rohingyas with hope for safe return: Shafiqul Alam They will meet with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been so generous in hosting them. On Saturday in Dhaka, the secretary-general will meet with youth and representatives from civil society, said an official at the UN office in Dhaka. He will also have a joint press conference with the Foreign Adviser Hossain on Saturday afternoon. And we will update you on all of the secretary-general’s activities. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Thursday said Guterres, who is now in city on a four-day Ramadan solidarity visit, will give the Rohingya community a message of hope that they will be able to return to their homeland soon in dignity and with safety, and that all of their rights will be fully established and respected. "We would also urge that the Secretary General will invest his exceptional leadership to make progress toward the objective of their early repatriation and ensure that international aid to Rohingyas are not adversely affected," Alam said while responding to some queries that he received from the media. Regarding contact with Arakan Army, the Press Secretary said considering the newly emerged situation in the Rakhine state, they ought to act and safeguard their border security, stability and peace. "Therefore, we are keeping operational contact with the actors on the other side of the border," Alam said. He said the solution of the Rohingya issue lies in sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas back to Myanmar. Dr Yunus, UN chief Guterres to visit Rohingya camps Friday This should be the highest priority of the international community, Alam said, adding that Bangladesh is relentlessly working toward this objective. Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees for long eight years. In recent months. around 80,000 more Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh. "It is beyond the capacity of Bangladesh to continue to host the forcibly displaced Rohingyas," Alam said. He said the international support for Rohingyas has taken a turn for the worse, leading to the decision to cut the daily food ration for the Rohingyas. "This will severely affect their nutritional status, particularly women and children. It will also have serious social and security implications, including safety and security within the camps and in the host community," Alam said. He said they reiterate Bangladesh's appeal to all donors and the UN system to ensure that the assistance to Rohingyas is given high priority and aid to them does not diminish. Global focus on Rohingya crisis to return through UN chief’s visit: Govt In light of the dire humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, the press secretary said, Bangladesh will positively consider supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance to the state.

The Office of the United Nations Secretary-General has said that UN Secretary-General António Guterres will undertake an official visit to Bangladesh from March 13-16. Not for UN Secretary-General to designate an event as genocide: Spokesman The visit follows an invitation from Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Dr Muhammad Yunus, which was handed over by Dr Khalilur Rahman, High Representative of the Chief Adviser on the Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters, during his meeting with the Secretary-General on February 7 in New York.

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in the Swiss city of Davos. During the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, Antonio Guterres and Dr Yunus exchanged pleasantries. CA Dr Yunus begins hectic 2nd day in Davos with 14 meetings lined up The Chief Adviser also had a brief conversation with European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on the sidelines of the WEF meeting. UAE invites Dr Yunus to attend World Governments Summit in Dubai

Some 780 million people around the world are going hungry and almost fifty million children are at risk of death from severe wasting, said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “Yet funding for this year’s global humanitarian appeal stands at just 32 percent,” he said in a message marking the World Food Day that falls on October 16. World Food Day 2023 comes during a global food crisis, with the world moving backwards on ending hunger and malnutrition. Brian Urquhart, early leader of United Nations, dies at 101 “This World Food Day, I call on governments, the private sector, civil society and academia to work together; to prioritize feeding the hungry; to bring ending this crisis to the top of the global agenda; and to invest in long-term solutions that provide everyone with enough to eat,” said the UN chief, noting that zero hunger is achievable. Guterres said in their world of plenty, it is outrageous that a person dies of hunger every few seconds, while the World Food Programme has been forced to cut its essential aid programmes.  Kofi Annan was the United Nations In 2015, after years of progress, governments set the goal of zero hunger by 2030. But eight years later, the number of people suffering from hunger has increased significantly. “This crisis demands action – first and foremost from national governments, which have a responsibility to make sure their people have enough to eat. But many governments lack the resources to do so, and so effective international solidarity is also essential,” said the UN chief. The long-term causes of the global food crisis include conflicts, climate extremes, inequality, and economic instability, he said. Dr Debapriya reappointed to United Nations CDP The UN system is addressing these root causes through our support for sustainable, equitable food systems that put people over profits. “That means massively scaling up investments in resilient agriculture, and aligning them with climate action. It means leveraging science and technology to improve the efficiency and reach of food systems,” Guterres said. This year’s theme for World Food Day focuses on water – a necessity for nutritious and healthy food. The sustainable management of water for agriculture and food production is essential to end hunger, achieve the SDGs, and preserve water for future generations, said the UN chief. 

From the ashes of World War II, three institutions were created as linchpins of a new global order. Now, in an unusual move, the top official in one — the secretary-general of the United Nations — is pressing for major changes in the other two. Antonio Guterres says the International Monetary Fund has benefited rich countries instead of poor ones. And he describes the IMF and World Bank 's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a "glaring failure" that left dozens of countries deeply indebted. Also Read: Budget not based on IMF conditions: Finance Minister Guterres' criticism, in a recent paper, isn't the first time he's called for overhauling global financial institutions. But it is his most in-depth analysis of their problems, cast in light of their response to the pandemic, which he called a "stress test" for the organizations. His comments were issued ahead of meetings called by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday and Friday to address reforms of the multilateral development banks and other issues. Neither the IMF nor the World Bank would comment directly on the secretary-general's criticisms and proposals. But Guterres' comments echo those of outside critics, who see the IMF and World Bank's leadership limited by the powerful nations that control them — a situation similar to that of the United Nations, which has faced its own calls for reform. Also Read: Bangladesh faces external pressures, requires careful macroeconomic management: World Bank Maurice Kugler, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, told The Associated Press that the institutions' failure to help the neediest countries "reflects the persistence of a top-down approach in which the World Bank president is a U.S. national appointed by the U.S. president and the IMF managing director is a European Union national appointed by the European Commission." Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's U.N. director, said there is a lot of frustration with the U.S. and its European allies dominating decision-making, leaving African countries with only "a sliver of voting rights." Developing countries also complain that the bank's lending rules are weighted against them, he said. "In fairness, the bank has been trying to update its funding procedures to address these concerns, but it has not gone far enough to satisfy countries in the Global South," Gowan said. Guterres said it's time for the boards of the IMF and the World Bank to right what he called the historic wrongs and "bias and injustice built into the current international financial architecture." Also Read: Bangladesh receives $858 mln World Bank fund for agriculture growth, road safety That "architecture" was established when many developing countries were still under colonial rule. The IMF and what is now known as the World Bank Group were created at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in July 1944 to be key institutions of a postwar international monetary system. The IMF was to monitor exchange rates and lend reserve currencies to countries with balance of payment deficits. The World Bank would provide financial assistance for postwar reconstruction and for building the economies of less developed countries. Guterres said the institutions haven't kept pace with global growth. He said the World Bank has $22 billion in paid capital, the money used for low-interest loans and grants for government development programs. As a percentage of global GDP, that's less than one-fifth of the 1960 funding level. At the same time, many developing countries are in a deep financial crisis, exacerbated by inflation, rising interest rates and a standstill in debt relief. "Some governments are being forced to choose between making debt repayments or defaulting in order to pay public sector workers — possibly ruining their credit rating for years to come," Guterres said, adding that "Africa now spends more on debt service costs than on health care." The IMF's rules unfairly favor wealthy nations, he said. During the pandemic, the wealthy Group of Seven nations, with a population of 772 million, received the equivalent of $280 billion from the IMF while the least developed countries, with a population of 1.1 billion, were allocated just over $8 billion. "This was done according to the rules," Guterres said. This is "morally wrong." He called for major reforms that would strengthen the representation of developing countries on the boards of the IMF and World Bank, help countries restructure debts, change IMF quotas, and revamp the use of IMF funds. He also called for scaling up financing for economic development and tackling the impact of climate change. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack, asked about Guterres' proposals at a June 8 news conference, said "I'm not in a position to comment on any of the specifics." She added that a review of IMF quotas is a priority and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15. In a written response to a query from the AP, the IMF said it has mounted "an unprecedented" response to the largest-ever request from countries for help dealing with recent shocks. After the pandemic hit, the IMF approved $306 billion in financing for 96 countries, including below-market rate loans to 57 low-income countries. It also increased interest-free lending fourfold to $24 billion and provided around $964 million in grants to 31 of its most vulnerable nations between April 2020 and 2022 so they could service their debts. The World Bank Group said in January that its shareholders have initiated a process "to better address the scale of development." The bank's development committee said in a March report that the bank "must evolve in response to the unprecedented confluence of global crises that has upended development progress and threatens people and the planet." Guterres' push for reforming the IMF and World Bank comes as the United Nations also faces demands for an overhaul of its structure, which still reflects the post-World War II global order. Gowan said many U.N. ambassadors think it might be "marginally easier" and more helpful to developing countries to overhaul the IMF and World Bank than to reform the U.N. Security Council, which has been debated for more than 40 years. While Guterres and U.N. ambassadors talk about reforming the financial institutions, any changes are up to their boards. Gowan noted that when the Obama administration engineered a reform of IMF voting rights in 2010, "Congress took five years to ratify the deal — and Congress is even more divided and dysfunctional now." "But Western governments are aware that China is an increasingly dominant lender in many developing countries," Gowan said, "so they have an interest in reforming the IMF and World Bank in ways that keep poorer states from relying on Beijing for loans." Beyond the Paris meeting, the debate over IMF and World Bank reforms will continue in September at a summit of leaders of the Group of 20 in New Delhi, and at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. U.S. climate chief John Kerry said in an Associated Press interview Wednesday that he will be attending the Paris summit along with IMF and World Bank officials. "Hopefully, new avenues of finance will be more defined than they have been," he said. "I think it's really important."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said world must speak with one voice — stop lies and disinformation, and stop targeting truth and truth-tellers. "As journalists stand up for truth, the world stands with them," he said in a message marking World Press Freedom Day that falls on May 3. For three decades, on World Press Freedom Day, the international community has celebrated the work of journalists and media workers. "Freedom of the press is the foundation of democracy and justice. It gives all of us the facts we need to shape opinions and speak truth to power. And as this year’s theme reminds us, press freedom represents the very lifeblood of human rights," Guterres said. But in every corner of the world, freedom of the press is under attack, he said. Truth is threatened by disinformation and hate speech seeking to blur the lines between fact and fiction, between science and conspiracy, the UN chief said. Also read: Repeal DSA, demands TIB marking World Press Freedom Day The increased concentration of the media industry into the hands of a few, the financial collapse of scores of independent news organizations, and an increase of national laws and regulations that stifle journalists are further expanding censorship and threatening freedom of expression, he said. Meanwhile, Guterres said, journalists and media workers are directly targeted on and offline as they carry out their vital work. They are routinely harassed, intimidated, detained and imprisoned. At least 67 media workers were killed in 2022 — an unbelievable 50 percent increase over the previous year. Nearly three quarters of women journalists have experienced violence online, and one in four have been threatened physically. Ten years ago, the United Nations established a plan of action on the safety of journalists to protect media workers and end impunity for crimes committed against them. The world must stop the threats and attacks, the UN chief said. "Stop detaining and imprisoning journalists for doing their jobs."  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said water is the lifeblood of the world and climate change is wreaking havoc on water’s natural cycle. He said from health and nutrition, to education and infrastructure, water is vital to every aspect of human survival and wellbeing, and the economic development and prosperity of every nation. "We don’t have a moment to lose. Let’s make 2023 a year of transformation and investment for humanity’s lifeblood. Let’s take action to protect, sustainably manage and ensure equitable access to water for all," said the UN chief in a message marking World Water Day today. "But drop by drop, this precious lifeblood is being poisoned by pollution and drained by vampiric overuse, with water demand expected to exceed supply by 40 percent by decade’s end," Guterres said. Also Read: 26% of the world have no access to clean drinking water: UN He said greenhouse gas pollution continues to rise to all-time record levels, heating the world’s climate to dangerous levels. "This is worsening water-related disasters, disease outbreaks, water shortages and droughts, while inflicting damage to infrastructure, food production, and supply chains," Guterres said. The theme of this year’s World Water Day reminds all of the cost of these failures on the billions of people who lack access to safe water and sanitation. Out of every 100 people on earth, 25 fetch all their water from open streams and ponds — or pay high prices to buy water of dubious safety. Twenty-two relieve themselves outdoors or use dirty, dangerous or broken latrines. And 44 see their wastewater flow back into nature untreated, with disastrous health and environmental consequences. "In short, our world is dramatically — and dangerously — off-track to reaching our goal of safely managed water and sanitation for all by 2030," Guterres said. This year’s World Water Day reminds all of their individual and collective roles to protect and sustainably use and manage humanity’s lifeblood for present and future generations, he said. The United Nations Water Conference, which kicks off today (March 22), is a critical moment for national governments, local and regional authorities, businesses, scientists, youth, civil society organizations and communities to join forces, and co-design and invest in solutions to achieve clean water and sanitation for all, said the UN Secretary-General. Meanwhile, he said, governments, businesses and investors must take much bolder actions to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, with the G20 leading the way. "We must break our addiction to fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy, while supporting developing countries every step of the way," said the UN chief.    

The United Nations forecast Wednesday (January 25, 2023) that global economic growth will fall significantly to 1.9% this year as a result of the food and energy crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistently high inflation and the climate emergency. Painting a gloomy and uncertain economic outlook, the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs said the current global economic slowdown “cuts across both developed and developing countries, with many facing risks of recession in 2023.” “A broad-based and severe slowdown of the global economy looms large amid high inflation, aggressive monetary tightening, and heightened uncertainties,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a foreword to the 178-page report. The report said this year's 1.9% economic growth forecast — down from an estimated 3% in 2022 — is one of the lowest growth rates in recent decades. But it projects a moderate pick-up to 2.7% in 2024 if inflation gradually abates and economic headwinds start to subside. Read More: Global economic growth will slow down in 2023, but will pick up in 2024: IMF chief In its annual report earlier this month, the World Bank which lends money to poorer countries for development projects, cut its growth forecast nearly in half, from it previous projection of 3% to just 1.7%. The International Monetary Fund, which provides loans to needy countries, projected in October that global growth would slow from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said at last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos that 2023 will be a difficult year, but stuck by the projection and said “we don’t expect a global recession.” Shantanu Mukherjee, director of the economic analysis and policy division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted the growing income inequality in the world at a news conference launching the report. Between 2019 and 2021, he said, average incomes for the top 10% rose by 1.2% while the incomes of the lowest 40% fell by 0.5%. Read More: Bangladesh-Turkiye Business Forum launched to usher in new era of economic cooperation “The top 10% now earns on average over 42 times what the lowest percentiles” earn, Mukherjee said. According to the U.N. report, this year “growth momentum has weakened in the United States, the European Union and other developed economies, adversely affecting the rest of the world economy.” In the United States, GDP is projected to expand by only 0.4% in 2023 after estimated growth of 1.8% in 2022, the U.N. said. And many European countries are projected to experience “a mild recession" with the war in Ukraine heading into its second year on Feb. 14, high energy costs, and inflation and tighter financial conditions depressing household consumption and investment. The economies in the 27-nation European Union are forecast to grow by just 0.2% in 2023, down from an estimated 3.3% in 2022, the U.N. said. And in the United Kingdom, which left the EU three years ago, GDP is projected to contract by 0.8% in 2023, continuing a recession that began in the second half of 2022, it said. Read More: China’s economic growth falls to second-lowest level in four decades With China’s government abandoning its zero-COVID policy late last year and easing monetary and fiscal policies, the U.N. forecast that its economy, which expanded by only 3% in 2022, will accelerate to 4.8% this year. “But the reopening of the economy is expected to be bumpy,” the U.N. said. ”Growth will likely remain well below the pre-pandemic rate of 6-6.5%.” The U.N. report said Japan’s economy is expected to be among the better-performing among developed countries this year, with GDP forecast to increase by 1.5%, slightly lower than last year’s estimated growth of 1.6%. Across east Asia, the U.N. said economic recovery remains fragile though GDP growth in 2023 is forecast to reach 4.4%, up from 3.2% last year, and stronger than in other regions. Read More: AL govt's ouster a 'must' to tackle political, economic crises In South Asia, the U.N. forecast average GDP growth will slow from 5.6% last year to 4.8% this year as a result of high food and energy prices, “monetary tightening and fiscal vulnerabilities.” But growth in India, which is expected to overtake China this year as the world’s most populous nation, is expected to remain strong at 5.8%, slightly lower than the estimated 6.4% in 2022, “as higher interest rates and a global slowdown weigh on investments and exports,” the U.N. report said. In Western Asia, oil-producing countries are benefiting from high prices and rising output as well as a revival in tourism, the U.N. said. But economies that aren’t oil producers remain weak “given tightening access to international finance and severe fiscal constraints,” and average growth in the region is projected to slow from an estimated 6.4% in 2022 to 3.5% this year. The U.N. said Africa has been hit “by multiple shocks, including weaker demand from key trading partners (especially China and Europe), a sharp increase in energy and food prices, rapidly rising borrowing costs and adverse weather events.” Read More: Burden of Bangladesh’s economic and political stability must be shared One result, it said, is mounting debt-servicing burdens which have forced a growing number of African governments to seek bilateral and multilateral support. The U.N. projected economic growth in Africa to slow from an estimated 4.1% in 2022 to 3.8% this year. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the U.N. said the outlook “remains challenging,” citing labor market prospects, stubbornly high inflation and other issues. It forecast that regional growth will slow to just 1.4% in 2023 from an estimated expansion of 3.8% in 2022. “The region’s largest economies – Argentina, Brazil and Mexico – are expected to grow at very low rates due to tightening financial conditions, weakening exports, and domestic vulnerabilities,” the U.N. said. Read More: Bangladesh considering ‘pros and cons’ of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Momen For the world’s least developed countries, the U.N. said growth is projected at 4.4% this year, about the same as last year but significantly below the UN's target of 7% by 2030.