Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s unwavering support for the legitimate demands of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and to establish an independent State of Palestine.
“The people of Bangladesh, who cherish democracy, are deeply concerned about the suffering of the freedom-seeking Palestinian people,” he said on Thursday (New York time) while addressing the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN HQ in New York.
“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,” said the prime minister.
He placed Bangladesh’s position on Palestine within his broader call for a peaceful and humane international order, stressing dialogue, diplomacy, mutual cooperation, equality, fairness and respect as the basis for relations among states in conflict.
“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.
Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh sees the United Nations as the centre of efforts to establish an understanding-based global community that respects the independence and sovereignty of one another.
He also reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for UN initiatives aimed at establishing global humanity and world peace and reiterated the country’s commitment to general and complete disarmament, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and arms control.
The prime minister said human-made conflicts had created unrest in many parts of the world, leading to displacement and humanitarian crises, while wars and conflicts were putting severe pressure on the global economy.
“We believe that any conflict should be resolved through dialogue, diplomatic processes and mutual cooperation,” he said, adding that equality, fairness, protection of mutual interests, respect and dignity should form the basis of bilateral and multilateral relations among states in conflict.
Bangladesh’s position on Palestine came as the country also raised other humanitarian concerns at the UNGA, including the prolonged displacement of Rohingyas from Myanmar.
The prime minister said Bangladesh had been providing shelter to more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas for more than nine years and called for firm and effective international support for a lasting solution to the crisis.
He said the only solution was the safe return of the displaced Rohingya population to their homeland in Myanmar, while urging continued life-saving assistance until their repatriation.
On another global issue affecting Bangladesh and millions of people worldwide, Tarique Rahman called for stronger international cooperation to ensure the rights, dignity and welfare of migrants.
He said Bangladesh remained committed to regular, safe and orderly migration.
The prime minister also called for stronger global action on climate justice, climate finance and adaptation support, saying Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change despite making little contribution to global carbon emissions.