I extend my
delegation’s sincerest congratulations to the President
on her very well-deserved election. I would like to
congratulate her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, on his
stewardship of the historic sixtieth session of the
9 06-53341
Assembly and to pay a special tribute to the Secretary-
General for his dedicated service to the Organization
over the past decade. It is also my pleasure to welcome
Montenegro as the newest Member of our
Organization.
The Assembly is meeting against a backdrop of
dire human tragedy. The recent wanton Israeli
aggression in Lebanon has shocked the world. Most
disconcerting has been the fact that the international
community failed to respond promptly and effectively,
as colossal devastation wrecked Lebanon and the
Lebanese people. In the end, the Security Council
redeemed itself by ordering a ceasefire in Lebanon. Let
us hope that the Security Council will exercise its
mandated responsibilities so that such atrocities and
violations of human rights do not occur in the future
under any pretext.
Alongside Lebanon, the dire situation in Palestine
has worsened owing to the continuous use of
disproportionate force by the Israeli Government. We
call upon the international community to make sincere
efforts to put the peace process back on track.
The scourge of terrorism knows no boundaries. It
is professed and carried out by a handful, and the vast
majority of victims are innocent men, women and
children. Efforts to combat terrorism and its
protagonists globally and nationally may have seen
some positive results. However, action to combat terror
by individual countries has created divisions between
peoples and affected interfaith harmony. Many
individuals are being subjected to racial or religious
profiling, which foments suspicion, misunderstanding
and even hatred. That is what the terrorists are actually
looking for: to divide the nations of the world. We
must ensure that they do not have their way.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has
unequivocally declared that Bangladesh abjures
religious extremism and does not and will not support
any kind of militancy. The Prime Minister has
reasserted her Government’s vow to eliminate all
militants and their networks. She has called for the
passage of tough laws to punish the perpetrators, whom
she has repeatedly dubbed enemies of Islam, enemies
of democracy, development, humanity and the people
of the country — our country, beloved Bangladesh.
In this connection, I must mention that a small
group of extremists carried out a country-wide
bombing attack on 17 August last year in Bangladesh.
But the extremists underestimated the will of the
Government and the people of Bangladesh. Instead of
fear, there was anger. The Government mobilized all
available resources to relentlessly hunt down the
leaders and the operatives. I am proud to inform the
Assembly that we have been able to bring all the
leaders of the outlawed militant group to justice.
Bangladesh today is what it has always been: a
moderate, tolerant society that practises democracy and
where the equal rights of each and every citizen are
preserved. Our determined action did not allow the
opportunists and the perpetrators of terror to destroy
the values of democracy and tolerance that we treasure
most.
For smaller States, the United Nations remains
the premier world body, addressing the challenges they
face. Despite its shortcomings, the United Nations has
proved invaluable in times of crisis and in the tasks of
preserving global peace and security and promoting
sustainable development.
At present, we are seized of the issue of reform of
the United Nations. Bangladesh holds that reform is a
process and not an end in itself. We do not think that
arbitrary deadlines or pressure in order to obtain a
particular outcome are helpful. It is our belief that, for
meaningful reform, an environment of mutual trust,
confidence and respect for divergent positions is
indispensable.
We trust that the new Human Rights Council will
not be a mere replication of the Commission on Human
Rights. It must not indulge in politicization of its work.
Bangladesh, as an elected member, is committed to
advancing the work of the Council in a fair and
balanced manner.
We hope, too, that the newly constituted
Peacebuilding Commission will fill the existing
institutional gap in the United Nations system to
facilitate the transition from peacekeeping to
peacebuilding. Bangladesh, being one of the largest
contributors to United Nations peacekeeping
operations, will bring its experience to the work of the
Commission in all its aspects.
As the United Nations deals with individual post-
conflict situations, it must not lose sight of wider
issues, such as disarmament and small-arms
proliferation, as well as weapons of mass destruction.
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Bangladesh would like to see sustained efforts by the
United Nations in these very critical areas.
The Outcome Document of the 2005 World
Summit (resolution 60/1), which had development as
its centrepiece, has hardly progressed beyond mere
pledges. For the least developed countries (LDCs), the
savings-investment gap and lack of capital remain the
primary constraints to development. Official
development assistance (ODA) to the LDCs in 2004,
according to the most recent data available, amounted
to $23.8 billion, or $35.70 per person living in these
countries. This is certainly not sufficient to
complement income or boost investment. Faster growth
in exports, and the consequent rise in income, could
help the LDCs accumulate the resources needed for
development. For this, we would need unhindered
market access for all LDC exports. The Doha
development round must resume to ensure special and
differential treatment for the LDCs. We would also
need increased ODA, full debt cancellation, foreign
direct investment and transfer of technology to enhance
the global partnership for development.
We can also increase capital flows to LDCs by
addressing one of the fundamental inequities in the
global financial system. It is utterly inefficient and
unfair that the LDCs cannot utilize their own foreign
exchange reserves — a staggering $28 billion — to
finance their own development efforts and that these
reserves yield very low interest, or none at all. On the
other hand, when LDCs borrow against their own
reserves, they pay a huge premium in interest or
service charges. The United Nations system must lead
the international effort to reform the global reserve
system and to make arrangements that enable the LDCs
to borrow at a zero mark-up of the interest rate against
their own foreign exchange reserves.
The General Assembly has just concluded the
midterm comprehensive review of the implementation
of the Brussels Programme of Action for the LDCs. In
this context, I would like to point out that, unless duty-
free and quota-free market access for all LDC products
is ensured, the agreed development goals and targets
will remain unattained for a long time to come. We call
on the developed countries to fulfil their pledges of
support for the framework to facilitate aid for trade, to
which they have committed many times over. An
effective monitoring capacity under the auspices of the
United Nations can significantly facilitate this task.
Let me now turn to two issues that are of
particular concern to Bangladesh. I begin with
migration. Liberalizing the movement of labour can
generate significant benefits and a win-win result for
both sending and receiving countries, as well as for the
migrants themselves. Numerous studies have found
that a modest commitment under the World Trade
Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in
Services Mode 4 would offer substantial welfare gains
for both developing and developed countries. It may
even exceed the gain of complete market liberalization
in merchandise trade.
The second issue is the threat of natural disasters,
which often undermine our development efforts. The
Asian tsunami was a wake-up call for all of us. In these
times of increasing global interdependence, disaster
risk management is a matter of global concern, as the
impact of a disaster in one region adversely affects
others. Bangladesh has advanced considerably in the
field of comprehensive disaster management. We stand
ready to share our experience, which has been
internationally recognized as the best-practice model.
The United Nations must gear its efforts to introduce
weather insurance and weather derivatives to manage
the risks of natural disasters, especially in developing
countries.
Within weeks of her assumption to power five
years ago with a massive mandate from our people, the
Government of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
launched a reform programme to restore discipline in
our country. Thanks to our relentless efforts, we could
accelerate the growth momentum remarkably without
destabilizing our macroeconomic fundamentals.
After maintaining a growth rate of 6 per cent for
the past five years, we expect a growth rate of 6.7 per
cent this fiscal year, against the backdrop of a global
economic slowdown. Given natural disasters, political
unrest and many external shocks — such as the global
economic recession, the phasing out of the Multifibre
Arrangement and the oil price hike — that affect our
economies, that is a remarkable achievement.
Keeping our commitment to the Millennium
Declaration, we have already achieved two Millennium
Development Goals by ensuring access to safe drinking
water and removing gender disparity in primary and
secondary education. Enrolment in primary education
has been ensured for 97 per cent of our children. Of
course, there is no complacency on our part and we
11 06-53341
know that we should try to achieve 100 per cent
enrolment in our primary schools.
Apart from those achievements, Bangladesh has
achieved remarkable success in the reduction of child
and maternal mortality and malnutrition and in
improving food security. We have begun channelling
resources to targeted programmes in the light of our
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. Our development
efforts, however sincere, will not reach their goals or
even see the light of day unless they are complemented
by international support.
Bangladesh has been pursuing meaningful
regional cooperation to improve the socio-economic
conditions of South and South-East Asia. As the
current Chair of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation and as members of the Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue
and the Developing Eight Countries, Bangladesh has
demonstrated its commitment to working with other
countries of the region. We are working in total
harmony with the nations of our region. Our recent
partnership in the Regional Forum of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations bears testimony to our
commitment.
The present Government will complete its tenure
towards the end of next month and will hand over
power to a neutral caretaker Government in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution. We very much
hope to return to work again with the General
Assembly. We have had peaceful transfers of power
over the past three elections under neutral caretaker
Governments when the voters exercised their franchise
freely and without fear or intimidation. The system has
worked and has been accepted by the people.
Democracy has taken firm root in our country and the
next general election will be one more opportunity for
the people to demonstrate that they are the ultimate
source of power.
I end with the assurance that we will work
together for a better tomorrow for future generations.