Bangladesh’s interim leader Prof Muhammad Yunus has said that his administration is committed to promote and protect the fundamental rights – for people to speak in freedom, to assemble without fear or inhibition, to vote whosoever they choose, to uphold the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, including in the cyber domain.
“We also aim at ensuring good governance, across all sectors,” he said while addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN Headquarters in New York City on Friday (New York time).
“We were asked to rebuild Bangladesh and give back the country to the people. To correct the ills of the past as also build a competitive and agile economy, and a just society,” he said.
“I wish to assure that our government shall adhere to all international, regional and bilateral instruments that Bangladesh is party to. Bangladesh will continue to remain an active proponent of multilateralism, with the UN at the core,” said the chief adviser of the interim government in his speech during the general debate of the 79th session of the UNGA.
He said that Bangladesh is open to nurture friendly relations with all countries based on mutual respect, upholding our dignity and pride and shared interests.
Appreciating UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Yunus said, the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations could help in setting pathways beyond Agenda 2030.
“Bangladesh believes that the Summit’s outcome will serve as a guiding framework in materialising our shared aspirations and re-thinking collaboration, for posterity,” he added.
Recognition of people’s uprising
Yunus, who took charge as the interim leader of the country on August 8 three days after a student-led mass uprising ousted the Awami League government and ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, said, “I stand in this parliament of nations thanks to an epochal transformation that Bangladesh witnessed this July and August.
“The 'power of the ordinary people', in particular our youth, presented to our nation an opportunity to overhaul many of our systems and institutions.”
“The uprising led by the students and youth was initially aimed at ending discrimination. Progressively the movement evolved into a people’s movement. The world eventually saw how people-at-large stood against autocracy, oppression, discrimination, injustice and corruption, both on the streets and online.
“Our people, particularly youth, gained us independence from an autocratic and undemocratic regime with their exceptional resolve and capability. That collective resolve should define Bangladesh of the future and place our nation as a responsive and responsible state in the comity of nations,” he told the UNGA.
He said, “This was indeed a movement that primarily brought together people who were long left in politics and development. Who asked ‘prosperity’ to be shared, to be inclusive. The people aspired for a just, inclusive and functioning democracy for which our new generations made supreme sacrifice.
“We were moved by the wisdom, courage and conviction our youth showed. Even braving bullets, bare chest. Young girls were fiercely vocal against the illegitimate state power. School-going teenagers laid down their lives. Hundreds lost their eyes, forever. Mothers, day labourers and scores of people across cities lent their shoulders, for ‘their children’.”
The people’s movement left an estimated over 800 martyrs in the hands of the autocratic regime, said Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
He said that Bangladesh was born because of her people’s profound belief in liberalism, pluralism, secularism. “Decades later, our ‘Generation Z’ is making us re-visit and re-imagine the very values that our people Bangladesh stood for back in 1971. As our people also did in 1952, to defend our mother language, Bangla.”
“We believe, the ‘monsoon revolution’ that the world witnessed in Bangladesh in the span of few weeks, may inspire many across communities and countries, to stand for freedom and justice. I would call upon the international community to engage with ‘new Bangladesh’ anew that aims to realise freedom and democracy, beyond letters, for everyone,” he urged.
“Our youth and people together entrusted me and my colleagues in the [advisors’] council with enormous responsibilities to re-construct a decaying state apparatus. As we took to the office, to our utter shock and dismay, we discovered how endemic corruption a ‘functioning democracy’ was brought to farce, how key institutions were ruthlessly politicised, how public coffers were reduced to rubble, how oligarchs took over business, how ‘chosen few’ concentrated wealth in their hands and amassed and laundered wealth out of Bangladesh. In all, justice, ethics and morality, almost at every level, reached a low,” he said.
Yunus continued, “In a drastically changed scenario, all political parties are now free to voice their views and opinions. A key priority for us is also to make all in public positions and institutions to account for their decisions and actions.
“I wish to assure that our government shall adhere to all international, regional and bilateral instruments that Bangladesh is party to. Bangladesh will continue to remain an active proponent of multilateralism, with the UN at the core. Bangladesh is open to nurture friendly relations with all countries based on mutual respect, upholding our dignity and pride and shared interests.”
“We have acceded to the International Convention for Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, within two weeks in office. The required national legislation is underway so that we can effectuate its early implementation. An Inquiry Commission has started investigating into all the cases of enforced disappearances reported during the past decade and a half,” he said.
In order to restore people’s trust and confidence and to ensure that the tragic past never recur in future Bangladesh, the interim government has initiated reforms in certain prioritised sectors, he said. “In that direction, we launched independent commissions to reform electoral system, constitution, judicial system, civil administration, and law and order sectors. A few more commissions are on the cards to reform other sectors, including press and media.”
“In order to create a conducive environment for business, we have rolled out extensive reforms in banking and financial sectors. We affirm not to let any foreign business interest to be affected,” he added.
Yunus said, “Beyond rhetoric and numbers, we aim to establish effective safeguard mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of these reforms and create an enabling environment towards conduct of free, fair and participatory elections.
“I would, therefore, call on the international community to continue and deepen engagements with Bangladesh in meeting our people’s quest for democracy, rule of law, equality, prosperity, so that we can emerge as a just and inclusive democratic society.”
Bangladesh views that maintaining peace and addressing conflicts is central to peoples’ progress, he stressed. “During the recent Revolution, our valiant armed forces have once again shown their commitment to peace by standing firmly with the people in fulfilling their aspirations for freedom during a most difficult time in our history.
“This was possible thanks to our commitment to place human rights at the core of peacekeeping. Bangladesh remains equally committed to peacebuilding, from the inception of the UN Peacebuilding Commission. We look forward to promoting and enhancing Bangladesh’s value-driven contributions to the UN peacekeeping operations.”
“As the third largest troop contributing country, our peacekeepers have served across 63 missions in 43 countries, to date… 168 Bangladeshi peacekeepers had laid their lives, from Bosnia to Congo. We do hope that Bangladesh defence forces would continue to be called upon in the future UN peace operations, regardless of the challenges or circumstances,” he added.
‘Climate change poses existential threats to us’
Addressing the UNGA, Yunus said, “Climate change poses existential threats to us all. The record-breaking heat wave this summer starkly reminded the world of the climate-induced changes.”
“What we need is climate justice – so that the irresponsible choices or, indifferent actions or, harms caused are accounted for. Long-term damages leave irreparable damages all-around: we are losing bio-diversity; changing pathogens leading to newer diseases; farming is under stress; shrinking water wealth threatening habitat; rising sea level and salinity decimating eco-systems.
“The damages in terms of rising intensity and frequency of cyclones or floods can hardly be ignored. The climatic risks are faced far deeper by our small farmers and artisanal livelihood-holders. As I speak, over five million people witnessed a most devastating flood in their living memory, in eastern Bangladesh,” he said.
He continued, “I would hence urge for channelling robust resources for climate adaptation in the climate-vulnerable countries like Bangladesh. It is moreover crucial to operationalize Loss and Damage Fund by leveraging innovative solutions and additional finance.
“Tackling climate crisis has to go hand in hand with getting global economy in order as well. The world is increasingly focussed on de-carbonisation. In order for such a shift to be beneficial to majority of global population, the transformative vision of a NetZero world has to redeem for countries like Bangladesh as well. Else, we risk falling short on our pledge to ‘shared prosperity’ through ‘shared responsibility’.”
“I believe, the world needs to engage on a shared vision of ‘three zeroes’ that we can materialise together, targeting zero poverty, zero unemployment, and, zero net carbon emissions.
Where a young person anywhere in the world will have opportunities to grow not as a job seeker but as entrepreneur; where a young person can unleash his or her latent creativity despite all limitations; where an entrepreneur can optimally balance social benefits, economic profits and responsibility towards nature; where social business can help an individual transcend beyond consumerism and can ultimately catalyse in social and economic transformation,” he emphasised.
Palestine situation a concern of the world
Drawing the world leaders’ attention to Palestine, Yunus said, “The genocide in Gaza continues unabated despite global concerns and condemnation. The situation in Palestine just does not concern the Arabs or Muslims at large rather the entire humanity. Palestinians are no expendable people.
“All those responsible for the crimes against humanity against the Palestinian people must be held accountable. Bangladesh calls for an immediate and complete ceasefire to protect the Palestinian people from the brutalities, particularly against the children and women.”
International community, including the UN, needs to act in earnest to implement the two-state solution that remains the only path to bring lasting peace in the Middle-East, he said.
“The two and half year long war in Ukraine has claimed far too many lives. The war has impacted far and wide, even lending deeper economic implications in Bangladesh. We would urge both sides to pursue dialogue to resolve the differences and end the war,” he added.
Continuation of support for Rohingyas
Seven years on, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas on humanitarian ground, incurring significant social-economic-environmental costs, Yunus said, adding the protracted crisis in Myanmar also pose growing risks with national and regional security implications for Bangladesh, both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
He said, “We remain committed to supporting the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar in Bangladesh. We need continued support of the international community towards the Rohingyas in carrying out the humanitarian operations and their sustainable repatriation.”
“Equally important is to ensure justice for the grave human rights violations committed against the Rohingyas, through the ongoing accountability processes in the ICJ and the ICC. Ensuring peace and security cannot succeed without political freedom and socio-economic emancipation of the people,” he added.
Yunus said, “Around a decade back, the world unanimously adopted the Agenda 2030. We reposed our collective hope and trust in the universal set of goals. Yet, merely 17 per cent of SDG targets are on track to be achieved by 2030. Clearly, many developing countries risk to be left behind.
“Every year, developing countries face a significant SDG financing gap, estimated between 2.5 to 4 trillion US dollars. High debt burdens, shrinking fiscal space, and adverse impacts of climate change put countries like Bangladesh at greater risk.”
‘Let us work together’
Addressing the UNGA, Yunus said, “As this great hall reverberates with crying call for peace, security, justice, inclusivity and equitable distribution of wealth, as states, we need to reflect on how we embolden men and women today, create space for them to grow as entrepreneurs tomorrow.
“The world has more than enough of capacity, resources and solutions. Let us redeem all the pledges we made, nationally or internationally. Let us work together to end all forms of inequality and discrimination, within and among nations, especially in advancing the proposition of social business in our economic interactions.”
He said that the youth in Bangladesh have showed that upholding freedom, dignity and rights of people regardless of distinction and status cannot just remain aspirational. “It is just what everyone deserves.”
“In this assembly of nations, Bangladesh would assure that we would and continue to deliver our bit, at international, regional and national levels, in securing peace, prosperity and justice, for everyone,” Yunus said ending his speech.
