On Thursday, October 10, 2024, at a meeting at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo expressed strong support for the reform initiatives of Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. This meeting took place during the Foreign Secretary’s first official visit to New York. The discussions focused on Bangladesh’s commitment to multilateralism and various cooperative efforts with the UN. The Foreign Secretary, Md. Jashim Uddin, thanked DiCarlo for the UN’s crucial support in realizing the aspirations of the July-August revolution.

During the meeting, they discussed Bangladesh’s contributions to UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities, as well as the prolonged Rohingya crisis. At this time, the Foreign Secretary requested the Under-Secretary-General to increase the representation of Bangladeshi citizens at the senior policymaking level of UN peacekeeping operations. The Foreign Secretary emphasized the need for global attention and action to resolve the Rohingya crisis. He expressed concern over the current conflict situation in Myanmar, which is creating conditions for a new influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh. He urged the UN to play a necessary role in resolving the ongoing crisis in Myanmar and in facilitating the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar, while also expressing fears about the crisis spreading across the region. He assured the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy of Bangladesh’s full cooperation.

Referring to the proposal by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to hold an international conference on the Rohingya crisis, the Foreign Secretary sought the UN’s cooperation in organizing the conference.

At this time, the Under-Secretary-General praised the ongoing cooperation between Bangladesh’s interim government and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He assured collaboration in various important areas to advance Bangladesh’s reform initiatives. The Under-Secretary-General commended Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping. Regarding the Rohingya issue, he expressed hope that the UN Secretary-General’s new Special Envoy, Julie Bishop, would work with all stakeholders to comprehensively address this problem.

Before the meeting, the Foreign Secretary addressed the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on the topic of “Women’s Advancement.” In his speech, he highlighted the importance of investing in women’s education and skill development, as well as the necessity of ensuring adequate financial resources for these initiatives. He emphasized the efforts of the Bangladesh government aimed at promoting women’s education, achieving gender equality, bridging the digital divide, and ensuring women’s well-being and economic empowerment.

The Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. He also mentioned Bangladesh’s significant role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the adoption of Resolution 1325, which established the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in 2000.
The meeting was attended by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador, Mohammad Abdul Muhith, along with the Under-Secretary-General.