Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has used his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly to present a post-transition vision of Bangladesh built around political and economic empowerment, seeking international partnership to turn the country into a manufacturing hub while declaring: “Bangladesh First: Bangladesh for All.”
Addressing the 81st UN General Assembly in Bangla in New York on Thursday, Tarique laid out what he called a “3-R” strategy -- Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction -- for rebuilding the country following the political upheaval of 2024.
The 21-minute address, delivered early Friday Bangladesh time, ranged from Bangladesh’s democratic transition and economic ambitions to the Rohingya crisis, climate change, Palestine, artificial intelligence, migration and global conflicts.
“A state cannot become strong while keeping its citizens disempowered,” Tarique said, pledging to build a prosperous, self-reliant and democratic welfare state where people could live with equal rights and dignity regardless of political affiliation, religion or ethnicity.
In one of the central economic messages of the speech, the prime minister said Bangladesh wanted to capitalise on its demographic dividend by transforming its working-age population into skilled human resources, creating large-scale employment and developing the country into a “manufacturing hub”.
He invited development partners to join that effort and said $50 million had been allocated in the current fiscal year to support start-ups led by young entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators.
Tarique also told the international community that Bangladesh welcomed partnerships, innovation and domestic and foreign investment as the government sought to create what he described as a safe, stable and business-friendly country.
On the Rohingya crisis, the prime minister delivered an unequivocal message: the crisis originated in Myanmar and its solution must also be found there.
“The only solution to this problem is the safe repatriation of the displaced Rohingya population to their homeland, Myanmar,” he said, noting that Bangladesh has sheltered more than 1.2 million Rohingyas for over nine years.
He called for firm international support for a lasting solution and urged continued life-saving assistance until repatriation, warning that failure to ensure justice for the displaced population could lead to another humanitarian crisis.
The prime minister also brought Bangladesh’s domestic political transition before the global forum. He described the previous 15 years as a period of “fascist rule and exploitation” and said Bangladesh was now returning to democracy following the 2024 mass uprising and the February 12 national election.
Those characterisations reflected the government’s political account of the transition presented in the speech.
Tarique said his government wanted not only electoral democracy but also the “democratisation of the economy”, so that economic growth reached every family and citizen.
He highlighted Family Cards, Farmers’ Cards, Sports Cards and e-Health Cards, and announced plans to consolidate different assistance programmes under a “Universal Card”.
The Family Card, issued in the name of the female head of a household, was presented as part of the government’s approach to women’s economic empowerment.
Education also featured prominently.
Tarique said the government planned to gradually raise education spending to 5% of GDP over five years, with greater emphasis on technical, practical and employment-oriented education.
On climate change, he sought stronger global action on climate justice, finance and adaptation, while highlighting plans to plant 250 million trees, excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals and advance the Teesta Master Plan and Padma Barrage project.
The prime minister also warned against a new global inequality emerging around artificial intelligence.
“We do not want the digital divide of today to evolve into an artificial intelligence divide in the future,” he said, calling for technology transfer, capacity building and affordable access to modern technology for developing countries.
He urged the UN to develop an effective framework to ensure AI and social media advances were used positively.
On international conflicts, Tarique said dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation should replace military solutions, while reiterating Bangladesh’s support for disarmament and an independent Palestinian state.
With Bangladesh approaching graduation from least-developed-country status, he also called for continued financing, greater market access, technology transfer and capacity-building support to make the transition sustainable.
Tarique closed by setting out the broader political message he wanted to attach to Bangladesh’s next phase: a country where young people could pursue their ambitions without fear, women could live with confidence and every child could have the opportunity to realise their potential.
“That is why we say, ‘Bangladesh First: Bangladesh for All’,” he said.