Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina voiced her concern for humanity at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Prime Minister embodies the urge of the Bangladeshi people about peace and humanity, since the people of Bangladesh are concerned with global peace, stability, and the effects of climate change. Furthermore, she stressed the need of joint effort in overcoming current obstacles and revitalizing the global economy in order to achieve a peaceful and sustainable world. When contemporary global leaders are playing various ball games by employing force or sanctions to safeguard their economy, Bangladesh's prime minister correctly addressed the fundamentals of human civilisation. She focused on many areas of Bangladesh's recent growth since the UN is a forum where leaders could speak about peace and encourage peaceful solutions. By discussing Bangladesh's accomplishments, she stressed the necessity and efficacy of international collaboration. She confirmed that Bangladesh has been following the ideal of non-alignment since its independence, citing Bangladesh's founding father's mandate on foreign policy of "friendship to all, malice towards none," and she emphasized the effect of conflict on women, children, and refugees. She demanded an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, claiming that it endangers people's lives and work in all nations and infringes their human rights.
Bangladesh desires world peace
The present global socioeconomic situation necessitates a peace-oriented strategy. So, when she says, "We want to see a peaceful world with improved collaboration and solidarity, shared wealth, and joint efforts," she embodies the voice of Bangladesh. Furthermore, she stressed that Bangladesh thinks that hostility, such as war, economic sanctions, or counter-sanctions, will never benefit any country. Dialogue is the most effective technique to overcome crises and problems. As a result, Bangladesh appreciates any efforts to accelerate the detente process, which entails lessening tensions, decreasing weaponry, and fostering peaceful cohabitation around the globe.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's UNGA
address is a real manuscript of 'supporting world
peace’on the one hand, sharing the remarkable
achievements of Bangladesh, on the other
Contributing to UN peacekeeping deployments
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demonstrated that Bangladesh maintained its tradition of playing an effective part in UN peacekeeping operations. She emphasized Bangladesh's entire commitment to comprehensive disarmament and peacekeeping operations, noting that it sends the most soldiers and police to UN peacekeeping missions. Bangladesh's involvement in peacekeeping further said that "Bangladesh thinks that we cannot preserve peace until we address the core causes of violence." The Bangladeshi philosophy of world peace is also carried through UN peacekeeping deployments.
Fighting the world economic crisis
In discussing national plans to combat the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, she emphasized that Bangladesh is one of the five fastest-growing economies in the world, ranking forty-first in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), and monitored success in terms of poverty reduction and economic growth. Bangladesh lowered the poverty rate from 31.5 percent to 20.5 percent during the last decade. Within a decade, per capita income has tripled to $2,824. Bangladesh will transition from LDC status in 2026 and become a developing nation. By 2041, Bangladesh wants to convert itself into a knowledge-based developed nation, and by 2100, it will construct a thriving and climate-resilient delta. She also said that Bangladesh's GDP growth rate in FY 2018–19 was 8.15 percent before the onset of COVID-19. Previously, GDP grew by more than 7 percent annually for three straight years. In fiscal years 2020-21, Bangladesh's GDP increased 6.94 percent despite the pandemic.
Infrastructure revolution
She claims that through developing physical infrastructure, Bangladesh has now built a sustainable basis for the next industrial revolution, which includes under-river tunnels, elevated expressways, and mass rapid transport systems. "The Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge, a self-funded addition to the road communications system, would promote Bangladesh's local and international commerce and regional connections, with at least 1.23 percent rise in national GDP," she said. Furthermore, she expressed Bangladesh is dedicated to collaborating with global partners to accelerate its socioeconomic development via the sustainable use, protection, and management of its marine resources, especially on the basis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A leading light for the destitute and vulnerable "Rohingya refugee"
Sheikh Hasina emphasized that, despite her country's bilateral interactions with Myanmar, "not a single Rohingya was returned to their ancestral homes," and expressed optimism that the UN will play a significant role in this respect. Furthermore, being a developing nation, Bangladesh has been able to accommodate and shelter a large number of Rohingya refugees. This is a brave act that exhibits a "Humanistic Bangladesh." Bangladesh has chosen a peaceful method to resolve the situation for the benefit of mankind and peace. "As a sufferer, I can fully grasp the sufferings and misery that people undergo as a result of the tragedies of war, massacres, coups, and wars," she said. She genuinely followed her heart and the humanistic ideals of Bangladeshi culture, which is why the Bangladeshi government has never meant to employ force against the Rohingyas or even compel them to work. Bangladesh is literally the "savior" of a whole ethnic group.
Health-care advancements and the battle against COVID-19
PM Sheikh Hasina emphasized Bangladesh's accomplishments in the health sector. Bangladesh has enhanced public health care to avoid COVID 19 transmission and spread. Bangladesh has achieved tremendous immunization success with the assistance of the World Health Organization and its COVAX system, as well as partner nations. By August 2022, the whole eligible population of Bangladesh will have been inoculated. She also emphasized considerable accomplishments in areas like as education, infant and maternal mortality reduction, and the social safety net. Infant mortality has dropped to 21 per thousand, while maternal mortality has dropped to 173 per hundred thousand live births. On the other side, the average Bangladeshi life expectancy is currently 73 years.
Significant progress in education and social safety
In her UNGA address, Bangladesh's Prime Minister emphasized that literacy rates have improved from 50% to 75% in the previous decade, and that the Bangladesh government has guaranteed an IT-based education system. Furthermore, she said that the social safety net has been enlarged to safeguard the social and financial stability of impoverished women, widows, the elderly, persons with disabilities, third-gender individuals, and other disadvantaged groups. Currently, around 10.7 million individuals get direct assistance from the social safety net.
Bangladesh is a global climate change leader
During its presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Bangladesh established the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan to promote climate change resilience while developing gender-responsive natural catastrophe policy. She also emphasized the need of changing many things in order to cope with the hazardous impacts of climate change in a manner that is consistent with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Human rights protection
Furthermore, Sheikh Hasina emphasized that Bangladesh is totally dedicated to safeguarding and advancing its own people's human rights. As a result, Bangladesh took a comprehensive and all-inclusive strategy to ensuring the people's political, economic, cultural, and social rights. Bangladesh, for example, has adopted the essential legislative provisions to ensure transgender people's rights and wellbeing. The Bangladesh government has also launched the "Ashrayan" initiative, which aims to give free homes to all homeless and landless households in the nation. More than 3.5 million people have already been housed as a result of the initiative. She also asked development partners to give improved and specialized assistance and praised the Doha Programme of Action for avoiding migrants' perilous circumstances.
To conclude, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's UNGA address is a real manuscript of 'supporting world peace' on the one hand, sharing the remarkable achievements of Bangladesh, on the other. She correctly highlights the accomplishments and metrics for maintaining peace and attaining socioeconomic stability. She eventually emphasized the image of a growing Bangladesh by discussing numerous facets of Bangladesh's involvement in diverse areas. PM Sheikh Hasina's heartfelt call to construct a humanistic planet demonstrates that the strength of leadership can solve the global crises and that humanity can only be a unified call for the world.
Kazi Asszad Hossan is a strategic and foreign policy analyst. His areas of interest includes global political economy, strategic rivalries and governance failures
