Bangladesh has been elected member of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN’s central drug policy-making body, for a three-year term beginning from January 2022. The "highly competitive" election of the CND, also a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was held on Tuesday at the ECOSOC Management meeting. Along with Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea and Iran have also been elected to this body from the Asia Pacific Group.           “The election was highly competitive but Bangladesh managed to secure second highest (43) votes. This demonstrates the trust that the international community reposes on Bangladesh in the multilateral fora,” said Ambassador Rabab Fatima, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN after the election.           She said Bangladesh attaches high importance to addressing the global drug problem in all its dimensions. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government has been taking strong measures at the national level, and working closely with others at the regional and international levels to address illicit drug trading, said the envoy. Also read: Govt’s proper initiatives applauded globally: Hasan Mahmud “As a member of the Commission, we would make every effort to foster international cooperation in combating the menace of drugs," said Ambassador Fatima.  Also read: UN chief lauds Bangladesh’s Covid mitigation efforts Based in Vienna, the CND is a 53-member body that reviews and analyses the global drug situation, considering supply and demand reduction, and takes action through resolutions and decisions. Bangladesh has also been re-elected member of the Executive Board of UNICEF and the Executive Board of UN Women for another term starting from January 2022 in the elections held at the ECOSOC Management meeting. The elections were also held on Tuesday. Bangladesh is currently serving each of the two bodies as member. The executive boards of these two important UN organisations are the main governing bodies.  

Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima has called for creating employment and other opportunities for those people who are left behind.

Bangladesh has been elected member of the Executive Board of the UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS securing the highest votes -- 53 out of the 54 with 1 abstention - for the term 2021-2023, beginning from January 1, 2021.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Munir Akram said now is the time to implement policies and commitments to recover from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.