UN chief applauds Bangladesh for ‘opening borders’ to Rohingya refugees in need

1 July Sunday, Dhaka: On mission in Bangladesh, the Secretary-General praised the country for keeping its borders open and receiving those in need of international protection.

“In a world where so many borders are closed, [the people and Government of Bangladesh] have opened their borders and received their brothers and sisters coming from Myanmar and from the terrible events there,” said Mr. Guterres in the capital Dhaka on Sunday.

Mr. Guterres noted the progress made by Bangladesh since its independence and highlighted the country’s integration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its national planning frameworks, as an “example that many others can follow.”

He called for greater political will to realize the commitments made through the 2015 Paris climate change agreement and urged countries to raise their ambition to limit temperature rises.

The Secretary-General and the World Bank Group President also visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum which was the house of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman, the first President of Bangladesh and father of the current Prime Minister. He and other members of his family were assassinated there in August 1975 by a group of soldiers.

Later in the evening, the Secretary-General and his delegation were hosted for an official dinner by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.  Continue reading

Transcript of Secretary-General’s remarks at press encounter with President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 2 July 2018

It is impossible to visit these camps without breaking our hearts with the suffering of the Rohingya people.

First of all, listening to the terrible stories of massive violence – of killings, of rape, of torture, of house or villages burnt – it is probably one of the most tragic stories in relation to the systematic violation of human rights.

I was in North Rakhine State twice in my past capacity as High Commissioner for Refugees, I have no doubt that the Rohingya people have always been one of, if not the, most discriminated people in the world, without any recognition of the most basic rights starting by the recognition of the right of citizenship by their own country – Myanmar.

But, on the other hand, it is also terrible for us to see more than 900,000 people living in these terrible circumstances. When I see the young boys and girls, I remember my own grand-daughters and I imagine what it would be see my grand-daughters living in these conditions.

It is unacceptable that these people who have suffered so much in Myanmar now have to live in the difficult circumstances that these camps inevitably represent. And so, I believe we need to combine a word of deep gratitude to the Government and people of Bangladesh for the fact that they have opened their borders when so many other borders are closed in the world. They have received so generously these people and have provided them with basic protection and support. Continue reading

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Message for World Refugees Day – 20 June 2018

What would you do if you were forced to leave your home?

Today, more than 68 million people around the world are refugees or internally displaced as a result of conflict or persecution.

That is equivalent to the population of the world’s 20th largest country.

Last year, someone was displaced every two seconds.

Mostly, in poorer countries.

On World Refugee Day, we must all think about what more we can we do to help.

The answer begins with unity and solidarity.  Continue reading

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: Press Stakeout on US-DPR Korea Summit, 11 June 2018., New York, 11 June 2018 — Full text and Video

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your presence.

I usually come before you to express deep concerns about unfolding developments and trends around the world.

Today, a bit of good news.

I want to address a promising development for global peace and security.

The world is closely watching what will take place in Singapore in a few hours’ time.

I commend the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States for pursuing a diplomatic solution.

I also thank all those who contributed to creating the conditions for this key moment.

The two leaders are seeking to break out of the dangerous cycle that created so much concern last year.

Peace and verifiable denuclearization must remain the clear and shared goal.

As I wrote to both leaders last month, the road ahead will require cooperation, compromise and a common cause. Continue reading

TV Talk Show on International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2018

In marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, a TV talk show was arranged by         Bangladesh Television (state run). The senior officials from AFD, MoFA and UN Information Centre took part in the Talk show which was aired on 29 May 2018. National Information Officer of UN Information Centre participated in the special event and said that Bangladeshi peacekeepers’ contribution in UN peacekeeping over thirty years is remarkable . He mentioned that UN has expressed its gratitude to  Bangladesh for the contribution in UN peacekeeping missions during the last 30 years. Both male and female Bangladeshi peacekeepers have been contributing in Peace missions and many of them, under the UN Blue Helmet, have sacrificed their lives for the cause of global peace.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers Commemorated in Bangladesh 2018

In commemoration of International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD), Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) jointly organized, a number of events to honour the deceased and injured UN peacekeepers, on 29 May 2018. A peace run was organized early in the morning which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Foreign Minister, UN Resident Coordinator and Principal Staff Officer of AFD. The honouring programme was arranged in the afternoon on 29 May 2018. The Honorable President of Bangladesh graced the afternoon event as Chief Guest and handed over crests and awards to the injured peacekeepers and to the family members of the deceased peacekeepers. UN Resident Coordinator spoke as special guest. UN in Bangladesh distributed the THANK YOU BANGLADESH Post Cards to all the 2000 participants including the senior officials of Bangladesh Armed Forces. The card was published by UN Information Centre, Dhaka as a part of UN Peacekeeping Campaign. A UN video was also screened apart from other videos.

Families and inclusive societies: International Day of Families celebrated

Dhaka, 15 May 2018: In celebration of the International Day of Families, UNIC Dhaka jointly with Probin Hitoishi Sangho, World-Wide Family Love Movement (WWFLM) and Center for Ethics Education of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology(AUST) organized a round-table discussion seminar at Probin Hitoishi Sangho Auditorium. The Family Day theme is “families and inclusive societies”. UNDP Former Resident Representative Ms. Sarwar Sultana spoke as chief guest while key note paper was presented by Kazi Ali Reza Chief Executive Officer of Center for Ethics Education. The key-note speaker Continue reading

Press Conference in Dhaka: UN Security Council Delegation

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN Bangladesh organized a press conference for UN Security Council delegation before their departure on 30 April 2018 at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Security Council delegation visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The delegation met Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Senior journalists took part in the press encounter and covered the item. UNIC Dhaka supported in media action, photography and media monitoring.

Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship 2018: 16 September – 6 October 2018 New York City

The Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship was mandated in December 1980 by UN General Assembly Resolution 35/201. Formerly known as the DPI Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries, the programme was renamed in 2003 in honor of Reham Al-Farra, a 29-year-old Jordanian public information officer who was killed in the 19 August 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.Since its founding in 1981, the fellowship has been awarded to 581 journalists from 168 countries. The Fellowship is open to full-time journalists between the ages of 22 and 35 from countries with developing and transitioning economies.

Fellows will be invited to spend three weeks at UN Headquarters in New York to cover the 73rd General Assembly. Apart from this, fellows have an opportunity to attend special briefings, interview senior officials and exchange ideas with colleagues from around the world.

The Fellowship covers travel to New York and provides a daily subsistence allowance to cover accommodation and related expenses.

Applications must be submitted online at https://outreach.un.org/raf/content/reham-al-farra-memorial-journalism-fellowship-2018-application.

The application deadline is 7 May 2018.

For more information visit: https://outreach.un.org/raf/ 

Model UN Conference at University of Liberal Arts (ULAB)

7 April, 2018: In partnership with United Nations and with the knowledge support of UNIC Dhaka, University of Liberal Arts (ULAB) Model UN Club organized a two-day long Model UN Conference during 5 to 6 April at University auditorium. The theme of the conference was – “Public and Private Partnership for Sustainable Development”. In the closing ceremony, Mr. Nasrul Hamid, MP Hon’ble State Minister for Power, Energy & Mineral Resources spoke as chief guest. Among others, Vice-Chancellor of ULAB, Publisher of Daily Dhaka Tribune and President of UNYSAB spoke on the occasion. In his speech, the Hon’ble State Minister emphasized on the progress of Sustainable Development Goal-7 affordable and clean energy in the context of Bangladesh and urged the delegates to share their thoughts about the necessity of private-public partnership in Bangladesh. There were five committees in the conference.  A total of 200 delegates from different educational institutions took part in the conference. UNIC provided with UN educational and promotional materials to all delegates. UNIC NIO spoke on importance MUN to enhance leadership quality and to develop communication skill. He also spoke about the ongoing UN Peacekeeping Campaign.