DHAKA: Winning a 3-year membership in Human Rights Council of United Nations is surely a much-awaited victory for Bangladesh.
Every country has strong desire for the post which Bangladesh won for 2015-2014 term getting support from 149 out of 193 countries.
However, Bangladesh contested with India, Indonesia, Thailand and Qatar in the election held in New York on Tuesday for one of the four posts kept aside for the Asia Pacific Region.
Expressing joy, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said, “It’s a significant victory for Bangladesh and it has ensured our strong position in United Nations.”
Besides, Bangladesh has secured 21 more votes than the required 128 votes.
Shahriar Alam told that Bangladesh has achieved this laurel at such a time when its own countrymen are propagating negative image of the country in various international forums.
Through this win it is an established truth that the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is advancing towards the goal of world leadership.
Before the voting Shahriyar Alam had been staying in New York for continuous campaign and upholding the positive image of the country.
Permanent Representative at UN Dr. AK Abdul Momen who was also carrying on campaign also told Banglanews that Bangladesh has bagged more votes than the expectations.
In a sense the Bangladesh was carrying on unified campaigning against the tirades of negative image campaigners. However the fight against those negative groups was fair. We used to know the negative propaganda contents and tried to uphold the truth through presenting the correct picture. The member countries supported us as we successfully handled the situation.
Dr. Momen told that we required 128 votes but our assessment was around 140 and finally we got more 9 votes.
Dr. Momen informed that in this post Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Qatar contested for the five scheduled posts from Asia-Oceanic region.
India bagged highest, second highest by Indonesia and Bangladesh secured third highest votes of 149 ensuring its position of membership. Thailand was excluded from the vote run.
Dr. Momen further told that this ballot battle reflected the world leaders’ unequivocal and standing supports to the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This win has also falsified the propaganda and claims made by some quarters that the human rights are violated by holding the trials of war criminals in Bangladesh.
Dr. Momen expressed his thanks and congratulations to the countries who supported in the ballot battle. In human rights council India and Indonesia were re-elected while Kuwait and the Philippines were replaced by Bangladesh and Qatar.
After the victory at the telephonic instructions of PM Sheikh Hasina, Dr. Momen has conveyed thanks and congratulations to other elected countries India, Indonesia and Qatar.
Accordingly it was conveyed which was learnt from a press release of Bangladesh Mission. It was further learnt that for this victory a number of countries sent thanks and congratulations to Dr. Momen.
Earlier on last October 9 at Cameron’s capital Yaunad, Jatiyo Sangsad Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was elected through direct votes as the first Bangladeshi Chairperson of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in the 60th conference.
Within a short span of one week Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP was elected president of Inter Parliamentary Union(IPU)of 164 countries at the 131 general session through vote held Geneva of Switzerland.
Dr. Momen described all these successes as the present government of PM Sheikh Hasina utilizing her dynamism persuaded in both internal and external affairs brightening the image of the country. END.
BDST: 1050 HRS, OCT 22, 2014
