Shibbir Ahmed, New York  — The vast General Assembly Hall of the United Nations fell into attention as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman walked to the podium, dressed in a black suit and red tie, smiling and acknowledging greetings from the audience. As he took the floor at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the hall broke into applause. For a moment, the attention of Bangladesh and the wider international community turned to the Bangladeshi leader standing at the podium of the world’s premier multilateral forum.

It was more than a speech by a head of government. From the global stage, Tarique Rahman presented Bangladesh’s aspirations, concerns and expectations, placing the country’s priorities before the international community at a time when conflicts, displacement and humanitarian crises continue to challenge the world.

At the outset of his address, the prime minister paid tribute to the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and recalled the contributions of those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for democracy, justice and people’s rights. He also paid respect to those killed and injured during the July-August 2024 mass uprising. He then turned to the challenges confronting the international community.

In a world witnessing conflicts, displacement and humanitarian suffering, Tarique Rahman called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy and mutual cooperation. He said international relations should be founded on equality, fairness, mutual interests, respect and dignity, while stressing the importance of the United Nations in building an understanding-based global community that respects the independence and sovereignty of all nations.

He also reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for UN initiatives aimed at promoting global humanity and world peace. The prime minister’s message on peace was closely linked to Bangladesh’s longstanding positions on disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and arms control. He said the diversion of development resources towards military expenditure remained an obstacle to lasting peace.

The issue of Palestine also featured prominently in his address. Tarique Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and to establish an independent State of Palestine. The Rohingya crisis was another major issue Bangladesh placed before the international community. Referring to more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar who have been sheltered in Bangladesh for more than nine years, the prime minister said the source of the crisis lies in Myanmar and that its solution must also be found there.

“The only solution to this problem is the safe return of the displaced Rohingya population to their homeland, Myanmar,” he said, calling for firm and effective international support for their repatriation. He also urged the international community to continue life-saving humanitarian assistance until their safe return becomes possible. Migration was another issue through which Bangladesh articulated its concerns before the global community.

As one of the world’s major labour-sending countries, Bangladesh reiterated its commitment to regular, safe and orderly migration and called for stronger international cooperation to protect the rights, dignity and welfare of migrants. Tarique Rahman also highlighted Bangladesh’s role in global peace efforts, reaffirming the country’s commitment to multilateralism and its engagement with the UN Peacebuilding Commission.

He recalled the contributions of Bangladeshi peacekeepers serving in UN missions around the world and highlighted the participation of Bangladeshi women in peacekeeping, reflecting the country’s commitment to the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Climate change, another major concern for Bangladesh, also featured in the country’s broader priorities at the UNGA. Despite being highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, Bangladesh contributes relatively little to global greenhouse-gas emissions. The country has therefore continued to call for stronger international action on climate justice, climate finance and adaptation support.

Beyond the immediate global challenges, Tarique Rahman’s address also carried a strong message about Bangladesh’s own aspirations. The prime minister spoke of building a prosperous, self-reliant and welfare-oriented democratic Bangladesh through recovery, restoration and reconstruction, with emphasis on youth employment, women’s empowerment, education, skills development, innovation and social protection.

He outlined a vision of a country where young people can pursue their ambitions without fear, women can live with confidence and every child has the opportunity to realise their potential. He also highlighted the importance of preparing Bangladesh for a rapidly changing global environment shaped by technology and artificial intelligence. Yet the significance of the occasion extended beyond the contents of the speech itself.

Tarique Rahman’s appearance at the UN General Assembly marked another chapter in Bangladesh’s political history, as he became the third member of his family to address the world body. His father, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, addressed the UN General Assembly in 1980, focusing on issues including poverty, hunger, economic development and greater international cooperation. His mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, first addressed the General Assembly in 1993 and subsequently addressed the UN on several occasions.

More than four decades after his father’s first appearance at the world body, Tarique Rahman stood at the same global podium as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The moment therefore brought together a chapter of family history and the contemporary aspirations Bangladesh sought to present before the international community. But beyond that legacy, the prime minister’s presence at the UN offered Bangladesh an opportunity to articulate its position on some of the most pressing issues confronting humanity — peace and conflict, Palestine, the Rohingya crisis, migration, climate change, development and multilateral cooperation.

From the floor of the General Assembly Hall, Bangladesh placed its message before the international community: dialogue over confrontation, diplomacy over conflict, cooperation over division and human dignity as a shared global responsibility. Tarique Rahman concluded his address by reaffirming Bangladesh’s support for the principles and values of the United Nations in the cause of establishing world peace.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for United Nations initiatives aimed at promoting global humanity and world peace, calling for conflicts to be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy and mutual cooperation.

“Today, I reaffirm Bangladesh’s support for any initiative of the United Nations aimed at establishing global humanity and world peace,” he said while addressing the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The Prime Minister said human-made conflicts had created unrest in many countries, resulting in large-scale displacement and humanitarian crises, while wars and conflicts were placing severe pressure on the global economy. He said energy security crises, disruptions to global energy supply systems and rising inflation were further worsening the economic situation.

“We believe that any conflict should be resolved through dialogue, diplomatic processes and mutual cooperation,” he said. Tarique Rahman said equality, fairness, protection of mutual interests, respect and dignity should form the basis of bilateral and multilateral relations among states.

“We aspire to a peaceful world, a humane global community where, rather than nuclear weapons, reason and debate, diplomacy, education and humanity become the instruments of change,” he said.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh viewed the United Nations as the centre of efforts to establish an understanding-based global community that respects the independence and sovereignty of states. He said the tendency in various countries to divert development budgets towards military expenditure was an obstacle to world peace.

“As a peace-loving nation, Bangladesh remains committed to the goal of complete and general disarmament, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and arms control,” he said.

Bangladesh and UN peacebuilding

Tarique Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to multilateralism in maintaining international peace and security, saying the theme of the 81st UNGA — “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All” — was highly relevant to the prevailing global situation. He said Bangladesh, as Vice-Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, continued to advocate sustainable peace, conflict prevention and inclusive peacebuilding.

The Prime Minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s contribution to UN peacekeeping missions, saying Bangladeshi peacekeepers were serving humanity in different countries around the world. He said the participation of Bangladeshi women in peacekeeping missions, despite challenging circumstances, reflected Bangladesh’s commitment to advancing the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda.

Support for Palestine

Turning to Palestine, Tarique Rahman said the people of Bangladesh, who cherish democracy, were deeply concerned about the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“Bangladesh reaffirms its unwavering support for their legitimate demands, including their right to self-determination and their right to establish an independent State of Palestine,” he said.

Rohingya crisis

The Prime Minister also called for continued international support for the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar, saying Bangladesh had been providing shelter to more than 1.2 million Rohingyas for more than nine years. He said the only solution to the Rohingya crisis was the safe return of the displaced population to their homeland in Myanmar. Tarique Rahman called upon the United Nations and the international community to continue life-saving assistance programmes for the Rohingyas until their repatriation.

Safe and orderly migration

On migration, the Prime Minister called for stronger international cooperation to protect the rights, dignity and welfare of migrants. “Bangladesh expects stronger global cooperation to ensure the rights, dignity and welfare of migrants,” he said. He said migration was as old as human civilisation and migrants were making important contributions to the economies of both their countries of origin and destination.

Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh remained committed to ensuring regular, safe and orderly migration. The Prime Minister reiterated that Bangladesh would continue supporting efforts to build a peaceful and humane global community based on dialogue, mutual respect, diplomacy and cooperation.

Shibbir Ahmed, New York— Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said the only solution to the Rohingya crisis is the safe return of the displaced Rohingya population to their homeland in Myanmar, calling for firm and effective support from the United Nations and the international community for a lasting solution.

“The only solution to this problem is the safe return of the displaced Rohingya population to their homeland, Myanmar,” he said while addressing the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“For more than nine years, Bangladesh has been providing shelter to more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar,” the Prime Minister said. He said the prolonged presence of the Rohingyas had placed immense pressure on Bangladesh’s resources, environment, security and local communities.

“Bangladesh, a densely populated country, believes that the source and origin of the Rohingya crisis lie in Myanmar; therefore, its solution also lies there,” he said. Tarique Rahman urged the United Nations and the international community to continue life-saving assistance programmes for the displaced Rohingyas until their repatriation to Myanmar.

“If the international community fails to ensure justice for the displaced Rohingya population, this may turn into a humanitarian crisis in the near future,” he warned.

Call for peaceful resolution of conflicts

The Prime Minister also called for stronger international efforts to address major global humanitarian and political challenges, saying human-made conflicts had created unrest in many countries and displaced large numbers of people. He said wars and conflicts were placing severe pressure on the global economy, while energy security crises, disruptions to global energy supply systems and rising inflation were worsening the economic situation.

“We believe that any conflict should be resolved through dialogue, diplomatic processes and mutual cooperation,” he said. Tarique Rahman said equality, fairness, protection of mutual interests, respect and dignity should form the basis of bilateral and multilateral relations among states.

“We aspire to a peaceful world, a humane global community where, rather than lethal weapons, reason and debate, diplomacy, education and humanity become the instruments of change,” he said.

Support for Palestine

Turning to the Palestine issue, the Prime Minister said the people of Bangladesh, who cherish democracy, were deeply concerned about the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“Bangladesh reaffirms its unwavering support for their legitimate demands, including their right to self-determination and their right to establish an independent State of Palestine,” he said.

Migration and international cooperation

On migration, Tarique Rahman said migration was as old as human civilisation and migrants were making important contributions to the economies of both their countries of origin and destination. He said the Bangladesh government was committed to ensuring regular, safe and orderly migration.

“Bangladesh expects stronger global cooperation to ensure the rights, dignity and welfare of migrants,” the Prime Minister said. Tarique Rahman also reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to multilateralism in maintaining international peace and security, saying the United Nations should remain at the centre of efforts to establish an understanding-based global community that respects the independence and sovereignty of states.

He said the tendency in various countries to divert development budgets towards military expenditure was an obstacle to world peace.

“As a peace-loving nation, Bangladesh remains committed to the goal of complete and general disarmament, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and arms control,” he said. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for UN initiatives aimed at promoting global peace and humanity.

Climate change

On climate change, Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh was one of the countries most vulnerable to its adverse impacts despite making little contribution to global carbon emissions.

“In these circumstances, Bangladesh has chosen the path of building resilience to withstand and overcome these risks,” he said. The Prime Minister called for stronger global action at COP31 on climate justice, climate finance and adaptation support. He said Bangladesh had strengthened its programmes to protect the environment and build resilience against climate risks.

The government had launched a programme to plant 250 million trees across the country over the next five years, while placing emphasis on clean and solar energy, he said. Tarique Rahman also said Bangladesh had launched a programme to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals across the country to help address flooding and drought.

He stressed the importance of cooperation in transboundary water management while reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to water conservation and pollution prevention. The Prime Minister concluded by reiterating Bangladesh’s unwavering support for the principles and values of the United Nations in the cause of establishing world peace.