‘We are rebuilding a Bangladesh scarred by fascist rule’: PM Tarique tells UNGA

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told the United Nations on Thursday that his government was working to rebuild a Bangladesh “scarred” by more than 15 years of what he described as “fascist rule.”

Addressing the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Rahman said the country had begun its return to democracy following the political upheaval of 2024.

He said his government was pursuing a three-pronged strategy of “Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction” to repair the country’s political institutions and economy.

Rahman presented the Feb. 12 national election as a key step in the democratic transition, saying his government was seeking both political and economic reforms as Bangladesh entered a new phase.

He said enforced disappearances, killings, abductions, corruption, looting and money laundering had become normalised during what he repeatedly described as the period of “fascist rule”.

“To repair a Bangladesh scarred by fascist rule and exploitation, the government is following a strategy of Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction — the 3-R strategy,” Tarique said in his maiden UNGA address, delivered in Bangla.

The prime minister framed the February 12 national election as the central point in that democratic transition, saying voters had entrusted the Bangladesh Nationalist Party with governing the country.

“We believe the people are the source of all our political power,” he said.

Tarique paid tribute to the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War as well as those who sacrificed their lives in subsequent struggles for democracy, justice and human rights.

He also paid tribute to those killed and injured in the July-August 2024 mass uprising, which he described as an uprising against fascism.

Standing at the UN rostrum, Tarique recalled that his father, former president Ziaur Rahman, and his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, had addressed the global body before him.

He said he was now standing at the same forum to speak for Bangladesh and its people and for the prospect of a peaceful world.

Tarique sought to connect the political transition with his government’s economic agenda, saying Bangladesh now had an opportunity to turn its demographic dividend into skilled human capital.

The government has allocated $4 billion in the current fiscal year to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators to launch startup ventures, he said.

He said his government wanted not only electoral democracy but also the “democratisation of the economy”, ensuring that the benefits of growth and prosperity reached every family and citizen.

The government was implementing its pre-election 31-point programme, Tarique said, adding that 73% of its activities directly corresponded with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and another 27% indirectly aligned with them.

Women would remain at the forefront of the government’s socio-economic plans, he said, pointing to expanded financing for female entrepreneurs and tuition-free education for women through graduation.

Tarique described the Family Card, issued in the name of the female head of each household, as a symbol of women’s economic empowerment.

The government also plans to integrate Family Cards, Farmers’ Cards, Sports Cards and e-Health Cards into a single “Universal Card”.

On technology, Tarique warned that unequal access to emerging technologies risked creating another layer of global inequality.

“We do not want today’s digital divide to turn into tomorrow’s artificial intelligence divide,” he said.

He called for technology transfer, capacity-building and affordable access to modern technologies for developing countries, while urging the UN to develop an effective policy framework governing the expansion of artificial intelligence and social media.

The prime minister also used the speech to press for international action on the Rohingya crisis, saying Bangladesh had sheltered more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar for over nine years.

“The origin and source of the Rohingya crisis is in Myanmar; therefore, its solution also lies there,” he said.

Tarique said their safe return to Myanmar was the only solution and called on the UN and international community to maintain life-saving assistance until repatriation became possible.

He warned that failure to ensure justice for the Rohingyas could turn the situation into a “humanitarian crisis” in the near future.

On Palestine, Tarique reiterated Bangladesh’s support for Palestinians’ right to self-determination and an independent state, while reaffirming the country’s commitment to general disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and arms control.

He said conflicts should be settled through dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation rather than force, with equality, fairness, mutual interests and respect for sovereignty forming the basis of international relations.

Climate change was another major theme.

Tarique said Bangladesh was among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing little to global carbon emissions and called for stronger international action on climate justice, financing and adaptation at COP31.

He said the government had launched a programme to plant 250 million trees over five years, was promoting clean and solar energy and had begun excavating 20,000 kilometres of canals to tackle flooding and drought.

The government had also started work on the Teesta master plan and Padma Barrage project to increase freshwater flows into the Sundarbans and improve water storage, he said.

Bangladesh had also signed the 1992 Water Convention as part of its commitment to cooperation on transboundary water management.

On Bangladesh’s coming graduation from least-developed-country status, Tarique called for continued concessional financing, greater market access, technology transfer and capacity-building to make the transition sustainable.

He also called for stronger regional trade, connectivity and economic cooperation and said developing countries needed greater capacity to sustainably manufacture vaccines, medical supplies and diagnostic equipment.

Tarique closed the address by saying a state could never become strong by keeping its citizens powerless.

His government, he said, wanted to build a prosperous, self-reliant and democratic welfare state where people could live with equal rights, security, respect and dignity regardless of political opinion, religion or background.

“We want to build a Bangladesh where young people can pursue their dreams without fear or obstruction, women can lead their lives with confidence, every child can grow up with the opportunity to realise their full potential, and, above all, people can be assured of a safe and peaceful life,” he said.

“Bangladesh before all — Bangladesh for all,” Tarique said, before ending his speech with “Bangladesh Zindabad.”

--