Mr. President,
I thank you for your comprehensive briefing on your priorities for the resumed part of the 76th session. We join others in congratulating you for successful completion of the main session of the 76th UNGA.
The year 2022 has not had an auspicious start. Omicron has come up with a serious blow to our recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are rapidly falling behind to achieve our shared promises of the 2030 Agenda. The poverty and inequality have seen an alarming rise across the world. The job losses, salary cuts, loss of businesses, investment, and trade have created the worst recession of our time.
Against this backdrop, we fully agree with your views that the international community needs renewed efforts to forge innovative and stronger partnerships to address these challenges. We have confidence in your ‘Presidency of Hope’ to steer us forward in this difficult journey.
Let me highlight a few specific points in this regard:
First, the immediate need is to ensure safe and affordable vaccines for everyone, everywhere. We appreciate your plan to hold a high-level event in February to advance this agenda.
We must not fail our shared vision to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the world’s population by the middle of this year. The most pragmatic way to achieve this goal is to ensure immediate transfer of vaccines’ technologies to the developing countries. You can count on our support to advance this agenda in the lead up to the February event and beyond.
Second, we appreciate your effort to organize the high level thematic debate on Climate Action just one week prior to the COP26, where our Foreign Minister participated. The event added critical value to the political momentum in the road towards Glasgow. We are encouraged by the Glasgow pact for enhanced mitigation target, for mobilizing climate finance beyond USD 100 billion per year and for doubling adaptation finance etc.
We look forward to build on our achievements in Glasgow to reach higher ambition in COP-27 in Egypt. We wish to work with your office for creating necessary impetus towards higher NDCs commensurate with 1.5-degree target, enhanced financing, technology transfer, and addressing loss and damage issue.
Third, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the women. Unpaid care work has increased. Gender-based violence has risen. Child marriages have reached all time high.
Against this backdrop, we congratulate you on successful convening of the Women Leaders’ Summit during the high-level week of the 76th UN General Assembly, where my Prime Minister participated. We will continue to support your gender equality agenda by sharing our experiences and good practices in the days ahead.
Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a major fault line in our education system. According to UNESCO, close to half the world’s students are affected by partial or full school closures. While the advanced countries could swiftly move to online platforms, the developing countries and the LDCs were pushed further behind due to lack of resources and technologies.
Against this backdrop, my Prime Minister called on the world leaders to declare remote learning and online education a global public good. We count on your support to place this issue high on the UN agenda.
Fifth, The LDCs, LLDCs, SIDs, and African countries are suffering seriously and disproportionately for so long. For these countries, a reinvigorated international support is required more than ever before. We, therefore, feel that the deliberations and strategic priorities of the UN should put the needs of these vulnerable countries at the front and center.
As one of the Co-chairs of the recently concluded LDC 5 preparatory committee meetings, we look forward to receiving your continued support to make the upcoming LDC5 Conference a success. We count on the continued support of all the Member States for the implementation of the Doha Progarmme of Action for the LDCs.
**We urge for more decisive actions of the UN towards durable and sustainable solutions of protracted crises, especially those which lead to cross-border population displacement. Bangladesh is currently hosting over a million Rohingyas who fled atrocities in Myanmar in 2017.
For the 5th consecutive year, this Assembly has adopted a resolution that calls for their voluntary, safe and sustainable return. Yet not a single Rohingya could be sent back. This year, the resolution was adopted without any vote, which demonstrates a strong and united voice of this Assembly to resolve this crisis. We would request you, Mr. President, to utilize your good offices and convening role to ensure the implementation of the resolution and in finding a durable solution to this crisis.
Sixth, as the first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) is approaching in May, my delegation looks forward to working with your team to make the Forum a success.
You can count on our support to remain engaged with all to reach consensus for an ambitious progress declaration.
Finally, you are aware, Mr. President, of our pioneering role to advance the culture of peace agenda in this UN for over two decades now. In the current session, the General Assembly adopted the plenary resolution on culture of peace by consensus for the 22nd year in a row. As mandated by the resolution, we look forward to working closely with your office to organize this year’s High-level forum on culture of peace.
I would rest it here. I thank you all.