UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded his Ramadan solidarity visit on Sunday morning, expressing his hope that Bangladesh would become one of the most perfect democracies in the world through reforms. Guterres left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:55am on Sunday. UN chief voices “concern” over disinformation targeted against Bangladesh: Foreign Adviser Environment, Forests and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Chief Adviser's High Representative for Rohingya issue Khalilur Rahman saw him off at the airport. Before his departure, the UN Secretary General spoke to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus over the phone and exchanged farewell greetings, CA's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. Before leaving Dhaka, Guterres expressed his total solidarity with the efforts that Bangladesh is taking in order to introduce reforms that will make Bangladesh "one of the most perfect democracies" in the world. During his visit, the secretary-general met with top officials, including Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus; Foreign Adviser Md Towhid Hossain, and High Representative Khalilur Rahman. He visited the Rohingya camps to share Ramadan Solidarity Iftar with about 10 million Rohingya when he was accompanied by the Chief Adviser. He also joined a roundtable discussion on reforms, met with Bangladeshi youth representatives and members of the civil society. Guterres, who arrived in Dhaka on March 13, said Bangladesh can count on full support of the UN in its way to provide its citizens a set of institutions which will be able to guide the country towards "sustainable and inclusive" development. During iftar and early dinner hosted by Chief Adviser Dr Yunus on Saturday, Guterres expressed his deep admiration to him and his team for the work they are conducting. He reiterated that Bangladesh can count on the UN's full solidarity in mobilis.ing all their capacities to support the reforms in Bangladesh. Guterres highlighted Bangladesh’s support to the United Nations and its mission, particularly in peacekeeping. Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, with thousands of soldiers serving in some of the world’s most dangerous environments. UN chief acknowledges people’s hopes for democracy, justice, prosperity “I want to pay tribute to the sacrifices and dedication of Bangladeshi peacekeepers,” he said. Regarding Bangladesh's efforts to support over 1 million Rohingya refugees, Guterres said Bangladesh's generosity is "absolutely outstanding". "You have been a remarkable example....that should be followed," said the UN chief.

Highlighting historical close ties, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said there is no alternative to maintaining a good relationship between Bangladesh and India, as there had been some clouds in the relations that mainly came through propaganda. "Some conflicts had been seen in the midway. I would say some clouds were seen. These clouds mostly came through propaganda. Others will judge the sources of those as propaganda," he told BBC Bangla in an interview published on Monday. A fugitive party trying to destablise Bangladesh: Dr Yunus tells BBC Bangla The interim government is set to complete its seven months tenure and diplomatic sources suggest a possible first ever in-person meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Bimstec Summit to be held in Bangkok on April 4, 2025. Responding to a specific question, Dr Yunus said the relations between the two neighbours are in very good shape and there has been "no deterioration". Following that, Dr Yunus said, there had been some misunderstandings. "We are trying to overcome those misunderstandings. There is no problem in our basic relationship," Dr Yunus said. The Chief Adviser said he had always explained that the relations between Bangladesh and India are so deep, still the relationship is in good shape and it will remain good in the future.  "There is no alternative to maintain good relations between the two countries," said Dr Yunus. He said that the relationship between Bangladesh and India is "historically, politically and economically" are very close and they "cannot deviate" from this. Dr Yunus also referred to huge "interdependencies" on each other. He said there is continuous communication between the two countries. Dr Yunus calls for documentation of "atrocities" committed by past regime The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a message to Chief Adviser Prof Yunus, later they had a telephone conversation, and Modi invited Prof Yunus to join the third Voice of Global South Summit hosted virtually by New Delhi on August 17 last year. On January 1 this year, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain made it clear that maintaining good relationships with three big countries - India, China and the United States- is among the priorities in 2025. He stressed that Dhaka’s ties with Delhi will advance beyond a single issue.   Adviser Hossain recently had a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in Muscat, Oman and invited him to visit Bangladesh as part of Foreign Minister-level mechanism that the two countries have. Hossain said both Dhaka and New Delhi agreed to have "good working relations" by removing the remaining problems. "We - both sides - agreed that we need to reach a good working relationship," Hossain told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referring to his recent meeting with Jaishankar in Muscat, Oman. He said businesses have already picked up and apparently reached their previous level but there are still some issues like visa related problems. Meanwhile, Jaishankar in a separate program in New Delhi said Bangladesh needs to make up its mind what kind of relationship it wants with New Delhi, stressing that the two neighbours share a very special history that goes back to 1971. “If every day someone in the interim government stands up and blames India for everything, some of those things if you look at the reports are absolutely ridiculous. You cannot, on one hand, say I would now like to have good relations with you, but I get up every morning and blame you for everything that goes wrong. It is also a decision that they have to make," Jaishankar said while speaking at the Delhi University Literature Festival. He said India has sent a very clear signal to Dhaka that it would like to see things “calm down” and the resumption of normal bilateral ties, but it is unhappy with the constantly hostile messaging emanating from across the border. Jaishankar shared two aspects of what is "very troubling" for them. The spate of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, obviously it is something which impacts our thinking and it is something we have to speak up about, which we have done," he said, sharing the first aspect of the situation. The second aspect is they (Bangladesh) have their politics, but at the end of the day, the two countries are neighbours, Jaishankar said, adding that "they have to make up their minds on what kind of relationship they want to have with us.” "We have a long history with Bangladesh. We have a very special history with Bangladesh. It goes back to 1971," Jaishankar said. A fugitive group (Bangladesh Awami League) has left the country or their leadership has left, the Chief Adviser told BBC Bangla, adding that they are trying their best to unsettle it (the country). Dr Yunus calls for making int'l conference on Rohingya crisis a big success Dr Yunus spoke to BBC Bangla about the law and order situation, reforms and elections, the formation of a new student leadership party, and political developments during the nearly seven months of the interim government under his leadership.

Seeking German help to implement the reform agenda of his interim government, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said the government is likely to hold the elections by the end of this year. "We need all your support for the New Bangladesh. We are working hard to make the general election a big success," he said. Bangladesh wants a special relationship with Germany in an effort to deepen trade and investment ties with Europe's largest economy, said Dr Yunus. The Chief Adviser made the comments when Zarah Bruhn, a Commissioner of the German government, met him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Wednesday. During the talks, the Chief Adviser praised the German people and the German economy, saying the country has been the leader in many areas, including heavy industries, in the world. "We have close relations with Germany. But we want to have a different relationship -- a special relationship-- with Germany," he said. Dr Yunus urges Maldives to regularise undocumented Bangladeshi expats Zarah Bruhn, who is visiting Bangladesh to learn more about social businesses and micro credit, lauded the leadership of Professor Yunus, saying Bangladesh would prosper during his tenure. "I am a big enthusiast of your work," she said, adding that she was keen to launch social businesses in Germany. They also discussed the three zero movement launched by Professor Yunus, social businesses, poverty reduction measures, and the future of the welfare state. Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and the head of the SDGs affairs of the Bangladesh government, also attended the meeting.

A seven-member ‘Jatiya Oaikymoto Commission’ headed by Prof Muhammad Yunus has been formed to consider and adopt the recommendations submitted by six commissions. A notification in this regard was issued by the Cabinet Division on Thursday. The commission’s other members are Constitutional Reform Commission chief Prof Ali Riaz, Public Administration Reform Commission chief Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Police Reform Commission chief Safar Raj Hossain, Election Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumder, Judiciary Reform Commission chief Justice Emdadul Haque and Anti-Corruption Reform Commission chief Dr Iftekharuzzaman. The newly formed commission will start functioning from February 15 and its tenure has been fixed for next six months. Election Commission formed with Nasir Uddin as CEC The commission will hold discussions with political parties and forces to form a national consensus to consider and accept the recommendations of the commissions formed for reforms in the election system, public administration, judiciary and anti-corruption, including police activities. The commission will recommend steps in this regard later. The office of the Chief Adviser will perform the secretarial duties of this commission while the office of the commission will be fixed by the government, reads the notification.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged outgoing Ambassador of Oman Abdul Ghaffar Bin Abdul Karim Al-Bulushi to reopen visas for Bangladeshi workers and help expand trade and energy ties between the two countries. The Ambassador said some 700,000 Bangladeshis now work in Oman, and there is a demand for skilled workers in the energy sector of the Gulf kingdom. The outgoing Ambassador paid a farewell call on Chief Adviser Dr Yunus at the State Guest House in Dhaka on Tuesday, said the Chief Adviser's press wing on Wednesday. During the meeting, Ambassador Al-Bulushi greeted the Chief Adviser, saying the Bangladesh-Oman relationship will grow under his leadership. Bangladesh to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Oman on labour, migration issues: Asif Nazrul Dr Yunus congratulated the Ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Bangladesh. Ambassador Al-Bulushi is the first Omani envoy to have been posted in Dhaka. The Chief Adviser called him a friend of Bangladesh and hoped that he would play a big role in cementing relationships between the two countries.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said former Justice and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Md Abdur Rouf would repeatedly be referred to as an example in Bangladesh's democratic journey and he would live forever in the hearts of the people of the country through his work. In a condolence message on Sunday, Dr Yunus recalled Justice Rouf's contribution to the country's return to democracy after assuming the charge of Chief Election Commissioner following the fall of dictator Ershad on December 6, 1990 in the face of mass uprising. The Chief Adviser also said Justice Rouf was a great pillar of civil society and worked tirelessly for ensuring rights to vote, reform and democracy which the nation will remember with due respect. The Chief Adviser expressed deep shock and sorrow over Justice Rouf’s death. Dr Yunus prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and expressed his deepest condolences to his bereaved family members. Justice Rouf breathed his last at 10am on Sunday while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit at private Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital Dhaka, said his personal assistant Md Tawhid. He was 95. As per the family's wish, Rouf will be laid to rest in his ancestral home in Mymensingh after official procedures in Dhaka, said Tawhid. Rouf played a role as the 5th CEC after the fall of HM Ershad regime in the 1990s. Read: Enam Ahmed Chowdhury passes away Following the formation of Bangladesh's first caretaker government, headed by Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, Justice Rouf was appointed as the CEC. For the first time during the interim government's tenure, Bangladesh had a three-member Election Commission (EC). Justice Rouf joined as the CEC the day after Justice Sultan Hossain Khan’s resignation. Under Justice Rouf’s leadership, the 5th parliamentary election was held on February 27, 1991, with BNP and Awami League 140 and 88 securing seats respectively. The Rouf Commission, during the caretaker government’s tenure, made significant reforms to the electoral law and issued the Election Officer (Special Provision) Ordinance. On April 18, 1995, Justice Abdur Rouf resigned from the position of CEC and returned to his position as an HC judge. He was appointed as a judge of the Appellate Division in June 1995 and retired on February 1, 1999. Read more: Ex-army chief KM Shafiullah passes away After retirement, he served as Shariah adviser for Fareast Islami Life Insurance Company Ltd and Prime Islamic Life Insurance Company. He also served as the central president of the national children and youth organisation, ‘Phulkuri Ashar.'

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government is committed to implementing important labour reforms to take the country's labour laws to ILO standards. "We've already taken some moves. You will see the changes very soon," he said when leaders of Nirapon, which works for the improvement of worker safety in Bangladesh's hundreds of factories, called on Dr Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday. Simone Sultana, chair of Nirapon, and Tapan Chowdhury, independent director of the group, led the team. Representatives of top Western brands and retailers joined the meeting. ILO-BGMEA discuss workers’ rights, labour law reforms Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser, said the interim goverment has already signed an 18-point agreement with labour unions and manufacturers, which brought stability to the sector and helped boost garment exports. Simone Sultana thanked the Chief Adviser for his efforts to initiate reforms in the garment industry. She noted that Nirapon, with its local partners BRAC and Amader Kotha, plays a leading role in developing and delivering innovative tools to enable factories to manage their safety. Representatives of brands also expressed their satisfaction with the improving factory safety in the country. Govt urged to reform labour law to ensure tea workers’ rights Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and Principal Coordinator on SDG Affairs, and Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) chairman were among those present on the occasion.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday sought Canada's support to recover money siphoned off from Bangladesh to the North American country, specifically invested in "Begum Para". "They stole money from our people and bought assets in Begum Para. We need your help to recover the assets. It is the money of our people," Dr Yunus told Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ajit Singh during a meeting at the State Guest Jamuna. The Chief Adviser said hundreds of billions of dollars were stolen from Bangladesh by oligarchs, cronies and politicians connected with the Sheikh Hasina dictatorship, and part of it was laundered to Canada, including in buying assets in Toronto's infamous "Begum Para" neighbourhood. He sought help to identify, freeze and recover the assets during his meeting with the Canadian High Commissioner. The Canadian High Commissioner appreciated the efforts of the Prof Yunus-led interim government to bring the stolen money back. Govt seeks UK support to bring laundered money back He assured Canada's support in response to the Chief Adviser's asset recovery efforts, noting that Canada has a "mechanism" to freeze siphoned off money for recovery from persons identified by the interim government to the government of Canada. The Canadian High Commissioner also offered the country's support to the interim government's reform initiatives in its transition to democracy. "We support the great thing you are doing. We appreciate the progress that has been made. We are keen to know what we can do," Ajit Singh said. He said Canada was keen to expand trade with Bangladesh and invest more in the country. A Canadian minister would visit Bangladesh soon to discuss issues of mutual interest, he added. Prof Yunus recalled his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and said Dhaka needs more Canadian investment. "Bangladesh is ready for business. We want to expand trade with your country and we want Canadian companies to relocate their factories to Bangladesh," he said. BB Governor reveals laundered money figures, reaffirms efforts to recover  The Chief Adviser said many Bangladeshi people now live and study in Canada, and Ottawa should make a move to set up its visa office in Dhaka. Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and the principal coordinator of SDGs affairs, also attended the meeting.

Former US Vice President Al Gore, who has emerged as one of the world's top climate change activists, has vowed to support Bangladesh's reform programmes. Al Gore met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss mountain city on Thursday. They discussed the July uprising, climate change, and how to mitigate the impact of global warming, the reform initiatives undertaken by the Interim Government, and election and geopolitical issues. The former US VP expressed his support for the country's reform programmes and fixing Bangladesh's institutions and its democratic transition through a free and fair vote, said Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Al Gore also praised the global Three Zero movement launched by Professor Yunus to combat carbon emissions, wealth concentration, poverty, and unemployment. Read: EU calls for consensus on priority reforms in Bangladesh Prof Yunus handed him a copy of The Art of Triumph, the celebrated art book on graffiti and wall paintings drawn during the July uprising. Al Gore lauded the "amazing" book and the revolutionary spirit of the Bangladeshi young people. "I looked at every page of the book," Al Gore said.

Sharing a background story of a changed Bangladesh with his global audience, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has laid emphasis on creating a mechanism so that everybody in Bangladesh can vote "freely and fairly" without any "interruption or threat" to anybody while exercising their democratic rights. During a one-to-one conversation with World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, 84-year-old economist and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Yunus said all the young people who became voters over the last 16 years did not have a chance to vote which is very unfortunate. Unless they know what kind of election the people of the country want, the Chief Adviser said they can not go into election. He said they are waiting to hold election and now people have to decide the process - whether they will go for the short agenda or the long agenda. Dr Yunus said they have targeted the end of this year for the election to take place if people go for a quick reform agenda. "If people say, no - we need a longer list of reforms, then we need another six months," he said. The Chief Adviser spoke of the student protests that brought down a 15-year tenure of Sheikh Hasina last July. This is the most powerful generation in human history, he announced, before addressing politicians around the world. Dr Yunus described the reforms the interim government is undertaking to prepare the country of 171 million people for free and fair elections, possibly as soon as the end of 2025. Reflecting on the role of the students, he said technology has changed them - they are not Bangladeshi young people anymore, they are global young people. "We define that new Bangladesh and we are committed to creating that new Bangladesh," said the Chief Adviser. He said the demands from the movement came that they do not want to go back to the old Bangladesh, so they have to make a new Bangladesh. Read: National election likely by year end or early 2026: EC Masud Dr Yunus said they do not want to go back to that kind of tradition of elections without votes. He talked about a consensus commission to build a consensus around each piece of their work and on the basis of agreement of all parties and civil society organisations, they will prepare what they call "July charter," the month when a uprising took place in Bangladesh. Dr Yunus said they are smarter than any other generation because of the technology they have. "So, this young generation can expand their views and create their own world." Encouraging the young people to become entrepreneurs, the Chief Adviser said they are preparing them to take a job but job-oriented education is finished. "I said this generation is a generation of entrepreneurs." Dr Yunus said they see enormous amounts of support internationally for Bangladesh and its people. Klaus Schwab, impressed by Dr Yunus' speech, expressed his happiness over the "exceptional" half an hour conversation with a "visionary" man. The Chief Adviser is scheduled to leave Davos for Dhaka on Friday night (Switzerland time) via Zurich International Airport wrapping up his very busy four-day visit with nearly 50 engagements. He will return home on January 25. Read more: Prioritising national election is EC’s main task: Commissioner Masud He arrived here in Zurich, Switzerland on Tuesday afternoon to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam received the Chief Adviser at the airport upon his arrival. Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Secretary (West) M Riaz Hamidullah, among others, are accompany Dr Yunus during the visit. Bangladesh highlighted its efforts for an improved business and investment climate during the annual meeting of the WEF in Switzerland to attract the global business leaders and investors giving them a confidence to explore the opportunities that Bangladesh offers. The annual meeting 2025 brought global leaders to address key global and regional challenges. These include responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding just and inclusive energy transition. Read more: Main goal is to ensure free, fair election: EC Sanaullah This year's meeting convened under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' and the programme will be oriented around five distinct but highly interconnected thematic priorities: The meeting brought together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions.