Bangladesh Statement delivered by Ms. Sadia Faizunnesa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations on item 73: Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance General Assembly Hall; 10 December 2015
Mr. President and distinguished delegates,
We are now at a crossroad of significant timelines. Only two months ago the global leaders adopted the historical 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, which seeks to address the needs of the most vulnerable and to leave no one behind; just after 4 months the first ever World Humanitarian Summit is going to take place. Ironically, world is also experiencing now the largest number of displacement due to conflict since Second World War. Besides, the scourge of climate change and environmental degradation also causing huge displacement. One hundred and twenty million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance – and at least 60 million people forced to flee their homes or their countries. Mass movement of refugees and mass migration has created an unprecedented human mobility. But these are not numbers only. These are intense sufferings of children, women and men. All refugees deserve safety. Every migrant has the right to dignity.
No doubt, this is an extraordinarily complex matrix in the humanitarian field and demands urgent attention of the global comments. Thus, the first world humanitarian summit becomes even more relevant and significant. “Trust building “ and “ownership” are the two practical key tools needed for an effective humanitarian assistance. We hope that the upcoming Summit will be an inclusive one and be able to mobilize strong political will to this end.
Mr. President,
The paradigm shift from emergency response to preparedness and resilience building is an imperative, which my country strongly supports. Bangladesh has dealt with many natural disasters and learnt how to become resilient by using tools, techniques and innovation, which are appropriate for our people. We have mainstreamed the disaster risk reduction into public policies, development plans and programmes for building resilient nation and communities.
We strongly believe that understanding the context of the affected countries and their affected communities are overriding factors that demand appropriate consideration for effective humanitarian response.
Mr. President,
The humanitarian domain needs to adequately consider the root causes that have adverse impacts on the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. Development is the preventive prescription for many crises, including displacement. Poverty, under development and inequality should be addressed in a holistic manner in order to build resilience and to reduce the dependency on humanitarian aid.
Against this backdrop, it is an imperative for the UN system and the international community to work in a concerted manner with the Member States to further strengthen the cooperation and coordination among all humanitarian actors so that humanitarian response can be neutral, faster, timely, more effective and more targeted.
Mr. President,
Let me reiterate Bangladesh’s unflinching commitment and contribution in the humanitarian field. On humanitarian consideration Bangladesh maintained its position as one of the leading troupe contributing countries in the UN Peacekeeping missions for almost a decade.
Bangladesh has sent medical team immediately in the aftermath of many natural disaster hit most recently in Nepal after the devastatingly earthquake spend our second land points to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance. Mentionable, all-female Bangladeshi police contingent in Haiti were deployed in 2010 and awarded in 2012 the United Nations medal for their contribution in managing law enforcement in Haiti.
Bangladesh stands ready to share its best practice in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and resilience building .
Mr. President ,
A key objective for all of us to link humanitarian work to prevention, resilience and development. We simply have to be more resilient to shocks. We need more humanitarian financing. However , redirecting critical funding away from development aid at this pivotal time could perpetuate challenges that the global community has committed to address in Agenda 2030. We very much look forward to the Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing.
My delegation particularly appreciates Secretary-General calls on the international community to meet this immense challenge without lessening its commitment to vitally needed official development assistance. Resources for one area should not come at the expense of another and helping people in need should not be a zero-sum game.
Mr. President,
Attacks on the humanitarian personnel and peacekeepers have increased unprecedentedly. We strongly condemn any form of attacks against any humanitarian personnel; each and every personnel who are engaged in performing the noble duty of humanity.
We thank Secretary General for his informative reports under item 73. Also my delegation appreciates and congratulates European Union, Sweden and Group of 77 and China for their able facilitation of respective resolutions.
We hope that the resolutions that will be adopted today will contribute to a coordinated international humanitarian response in order to effectively address the needs of the people affected around the world by humanitarian emergencies.
I thank you all.