Press conference by H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations – 13 Sep 2017

Press Conference by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

13 September 2017 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today reiterated his call for Muslims from Myanmar’s Rakhine state to be granted nationality or at least a legal status that would allow them to lead a normal life, while also urging the international community to help provide assistance for the nearly 380,000 people who have fled into Bangladesh.

“I call on the Myanmar authorities to suspend military action, end the violence, uphold the rule of law, and recognize the right of return of all those who had to leave the country,” the Secretary-General said in his first press conference since the opening of the 72nd session of the General Assembly.

Mr. Guterres repeated his call for “an effective action plan” to address the root causes of the situation, which he said he been left to fester for decades and has now escalated beyond Myanmar’s borders, destabilizing the region.

The Security Council is due to discuss the situation this afternoon in an urgent closed-door meeting, following an official letter from the Secretary-General expressing his concern. Continue reading →

UN Young Leader at SDGs Festival in Mymensingh

Mymensingh, 15 July 2017: UNIC Dhaka jointly with H.A. Digital School and College organized a SDGs Festival during 15 to 16 July 2017 at the school premises at Tarakanda in Mymensingh district. It was an awareness programme about SDGs for students of the rural school where digital facilities are available. Mr Mahmud Hassan, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Public Administration graced the occasion as chief guest while Dr Muklesur Rahman Khan presided over. UNIC NIO delivered the key note presentation and UN Young Leader and founder of H.A. Digital School Shaugat Nazbin Khan was a panelist. More than 150 students and teachers took part in the SDG festival.

UNIC Dhaka commemorated the Nelson Mandela International Day

Dhaka, Tuesday, 18 July 2017: In commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day, UNIC Dhaka jointly with ASA University Bangladesh organized a Discussion Seminar and Mandela Day Poster Exhibition on Nelson Mandela’ work, at the university auditorium. Mr. Mahmud Hassan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, GoB was the chief guest of the event while Prof. Dr. A.K.M. Helaluz-Zaman, VC-in-charge, ASA University presided over. Mr. Zahid Hossain, Human Rights Advisor of UNRC Office presented the key-note paper on Mandela’s life-long fight against racism and his sacrifice for the establishment of peace. National Information Officer of UNIC Dhaka delivered an introductory speech and read-out the UN Secretary-General’s Message on the Day. Students of ASA University took part in the open discussion and Q&A session. A Poster Exhibition was also organized at the beginning of the events. The UN Secretary General’s Message on the Day and Universal Declaration of Human Rights were distributed among all the participants.

Bangladesh Model United Nations (BANMUN) 2017

With the partnership of UNIC Dhaka, UN Youth and Students Association of Bangladesh organized a four-day long Model UN Conference BANMUN 2017 at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) auditorium during 1- 4 July 2017. The opening ceremony was inaugurated by HE Ms. Sadia Faizunnesa, Director-General (UN) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Humayun Kabir, Former Bangladesh Ambassador to USA. M. Moniruzzaman National Information Officer of UNIC Dhaka spoke as special guest. UNYSAB Trastee Chair Dr. Syed Md. Saikh Imtiaz and President Mamun Misa also spoke on the occasion. More than 600 delegates from different educational institutions took part in it. All the delegates were provided with a set of UN publications.

“We the peoples of the United Nations…”

The UN Charter

The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter. Visit the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library’s collection of translations of the UN Charter.

The UN Charter, which created the UN, was signed by 50 member countries in San Francisco 72 years ago.

YouTube: Michael Douglas on the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter

Download the UN Charter app in 6 languages on Charter Day on 26 June 

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Message for the 100-Day Countdown to the International Day of Peace, 13 June

Upon taking up my duties as Secretary-General in January of this year, my very first act was to issue an appeal for peace — a call on citizens, governments and leaders everywhere to put peace first.

The International Day of Peace, observed every year on 21 September, embodies our shared aspiration to end the needless suffering caused by armed conflict. It offers a moment for the peoples of the world to acknowledge the ties that bind them together, irrespective of their countries of origin. It is a day on which the United Nations calls for a 24-hour global ceasefire, with the hope that one day of peace can lead to another, and another, and ultimately to a stilling of the guns.

Yet there is more to achieving peace than laying down weapons. True peace requires involves building bridges, combating discrimination and standing up for the human rights of all the world’s people.

That is why this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace is: “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”, focusing in particular on the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world.  Our obligation as an international community is to ensure that everyone forced to flee their homes receives the protection to which they are entitled under international law.  Our duty as a human family is to replace fear with kindness. Continue reading →

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s Message on World Oceans Day: “Our Oceans, Our Future”, 8 June 2017

 The oceans make our home a blue planet.  The oceans regulate climate, generate oxygen, and provide ecosystem services, energy and minerals. The life teeming below their surfaces and along the shorelines is a source of food and medicines.   Oceans connect all of us, linking people and nations in cultural ties, and they are essential for sharing goods and services across the world.  The importance of our oceans to every single living being on our planet cannot be overstated. Today, we celebrate all that the oceans give us, and reaffirm our commitment to being good stewards.

On this World Oceans Day, we look to the future.  Caring for, and using, our oceans in sustainable ways is critical to achieve ecological and economic goals for communities everywhere.  However, the future of our oceans is burdened by numerous threats – such as climate change and ocean acidification, pollution, unsustainable and destructive fishing practices, – and the lack of capacities to address these threats.  Continue reading →

International Day of UN Peacekeepers commemorated in Bangladesh

In commemoration of International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Bangladesh Armed Forces Division (AFD) and Office of the UN Resident Coordinator with the support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly organized a number of events to honour the fallen and injured peacekeepers on 29 May 2017. Mr. Abdul Hamid, Honourable President of Bangladesh spoke on the occasion as chief guest at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) and handed over crests to the injured peacekeepers, and family members of deceased peacekeepers who lost their lives for the cause of world peace and humanity. The UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins delivered a speech on Continue reading →