Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, during his meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, on Thursday said Bangladesh progressed a lot but "should have done better" politically and democratically. Dr Yunus sought support and advice from the fomer UN Secretary-General for a smooth transition to democracy in Bangladesh. “We want to start anew; we need your support and advice. We are having a great opportunity now,” Dr Yunus told Ban Ki-moon as they met on the sidelines of the BOAO Forum Asia Annual Conference. Ban Ki-moon, also Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, praised the leadership of Prof Yunus and said that under his leadership, Bangladesh will do much better. “Bangladesh now has a leader in you who is respected worldwide,” said Ban Ki-moon. The former UN Secretary-General recalled his role in seating up diplomatic relationships between Bangladesh and South Korea when he was a young diplomat posted in New Delhi. Dr Yunus holds talks with Chinese Vice Premier, Ban Ki-moon, other foreign leaders  “It was my pen that was used to sign the agreement to formalise Korea’s diplomatic relationship with Bangladesh,” he recalled. Professor Yunus said that once Korea and Bangladesh were on the same line, but now Korea has zoomed ahead. “People of Bangladesh are wonderful, but political leadership destroyed us,” he said. Ban Ki-moon said that he introduced Bangladesh to Kihak Sung, the Chairman of Youngone Corporation and one of the most respectful business leaders in Korea, who later went on to expand his business in a specialised economic zone in Bangladesh. The Chief Adviser said that Bangladesh recently settled a long-pending land issue with the Korean EPZ in Chattogram, hoping that it would encourage more Korean business people to invest in Bangladesh. Asia must strengthen cooperation as destinies are intertwined: Dr Yunus Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, informed the meeting that Kihak Sung would lead a 26-member strong business delegation from Korea in the upcoming Business Summit in Dhaka next month, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. The Chief Adviser also sought Ban Ki-moon’s support in settling the Rohingya crisis and invited him to visit Bangladesh at an opportune time.  

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Thursday morning met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, who is attending the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 in Boao, and discussed issues of shared interests and mutual cooperation. The meeting was held at Bo’ao State Guest House and lasted for over 30 minutes. Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, had separate meetings earlier on Wednesday with other foreign leaders who are attending the conference. Dr Yunus begins day at Boao with packed schedule; holds talks with Chinese Vice Premier Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China Chen Huaiyu met the Chief Adviser today (Thursday). After the meeting, he addressed the opening plenary of the Bo’ao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 at the BFA International Convention Centre Zhang Jun, Secretary General of Bo’ao Forum for Asia, Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of Bo’ao Forum for Asia and Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of Lao PDR also spoke at the session while Ding Xuexiang, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, delivered the keynote speech. On the sidelines of the Forum, Dr Yunus held meetings with the former Secretary-General of the United Nations and the current Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, Ban Ki-moon, Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and the Director-General of FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) Qu Dongyu. Themed "Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future", the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 is being held here from March 25 to 28 in Boao, South China's Hainan Province. Asia must strengthen cooperation as destinies are intertwined: Dr Yunus Boao is a coastal town in the city of Qionghai, Hainan. The Chief Adviser is on a four-day visit through which Dr Yunus thinks the relationship between Bangladesh and China would further be deepened. Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; Road Transport and Bridges; and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, High Representative to Chief Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed and CA's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam are accompanying the Chief Adviser.  

Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged world leaders to gear up the global vaccination drive and synergize sustainable and inclusive recovery as the new variant of Covid-19, ‘Omicron’, posed new challenges. “The spread of Omicron variant underlines this urgency,” he said in a video message on the occasion of the two-day World Peace Conference that began in Dhaka on Saturday, noting that cooperation and elevated political will is critical. Now it is the second year that Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause immense sufferings with huge economic losses while reports suggest Omicron has been found in close to 40 countries. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said the world should not panic about the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 but it should prepare. Speaking at a conference on Friday, top WHO scientist Soumya Swaminathan said the situation now was very different to a year ago. In his video message played during the inaugural session of the conference, the former UN chief highlighted the great importance of coming together to holistically advance peace through social inclusion during the period of great change. Read:India reports first two Covid cases of Omicron variant “I believe we’ve invaluable opportunities to change the world for the better, but to do this we need to work together through a driving commitment to peace, sustainability, inclusion, the power of partnership and multilateral cooperation,” Ban said. He said the Covid-19 pandemic amplified the inequalities and the ongoing recovery will be prolonged. “We need to ensure equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccine and fight against vaccine inequity. This is the most pressing task ahead of us.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan' was highly praised as a transformational nature-based investment and socio-economic growth concept at Chatham House.

In an open letter - A Time for Renewal: Calling for a Strengthened Multilateral System - released Friday, 48 former UN and government officials from around the world expect the 75th anniversary of the 193-nation body to lead to "a stronger, more accountable, inclusive multilateral system." According to the letter obtained by Xinhua, the leaders said "the institutional framework of global governance, with the United Nations at its core, must do more to provide the guidance, leadership an

Former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived here on Friday night on a brief visit, the second visit to Bangladesh this year, after leaving the United Nations.

Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to arrive here on Friday on a brief visit which will be his second visit to Bangladesh this year after leaving the United Nations.