Dozens of global leaders voiced strong support for Bangladesh’s interim government during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Gathering at Professor Yunus’s hotel suite in New York on Friday, the delegation pledged expertise and assistance to help Bangladesh navigate what they described as a critical period of transition.
The group was led by former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, co-chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC), and included an array of former heads of state and government, senior diplomats, and international officials.
Among them were Borut Pahor, former president of Slovenia; Boris Tadic, former president of Serbia; Egils Levits, former president of Latvia; Charles Michel, president emeritus of the European Council and former Belgian prime minister; George Papandreou, former Greek prime minister; Rosen Plevneliev and Petar Stoyanov, former Bulgarian presidents; Ivo Josipovic, former president of Croatia; Mladen Ivanic, former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former president of Mauritius.
Also present were a former secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a former deputy prime minister of Georgia, four former presidents of the UN General Assembly, several ex-foreign ministers, Ismail Serageldin, former World Bank vice president and NGIC co-chair, Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and senior representatives of the IAEA and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
The leaders hailed Professor Yunus’s decades-long work to fight poverty and promote social justice. “We’re here to support you and the people of Bangladesh,” one said. “We are fully behind you.”
Several noted the country’s progress under Yunus’s leadership since July while acknowledging the severe challenges following what they described as 16 years of misrule and corruption. Some pledged technical and policy assistance to advance reconstruction and economic recovery.
“We’re ready to work with you,” one participant said. “Whatever guidance or support you need — just let us know. There is so much to be done.”
Kerry Kennedy, who recently visited Bangladesh, praised its “extraordinary” progress on human rights, while Melanne Verveer of Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security announced the institute would soon formally endorse Bangladesh’s July Revolution.
“If you need us, we are here for you,” NGIC’s Ismail Serageldin added.
In response, Professor Yunus expressed gratitude, calling the support “totally unexpected.” Comparing the country’s challenges to a natural disaster, he said, “This country has been through a 15-year-long earthquake. Its magnitude was 9 on the Richter scale.”
He acknowledged the difficulty of meeting public expectations, saying, “People expect miracles overnight, despite our limited resources. But we must also fulfill the dreams of our youth — they are looking for a new Bangladesh.”
Calling for international backing for Bangladesh’s planned general elections in February, Yunus added: “We need your guidance. Your advice, support, and moral strength will be invaluable.”
SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed also attended the meeting.
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