‘TIB’s UN delegation figure baffles’

Staff Reporter :

The interim government has strongly countered Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) remarks about the size and purpose of Bangladesh’s delegation to the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), saying the watchdog relied on “incorrect information.”

In a statement published on Facebook on Friday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam brushed aside the criticism, insisting that the current team is “not only far smaller than those of the Hasina government, but also much more focused, hard-working, and results-oriented.”

“While TIB is a valued civil society body and a consistent voice for accountability, it is disappointing that they chose to issue a public statement based on unverified social media chatter rather than accurate facts,” Shafiqul wrote.

He directly addressed the allegation that over 100 delegates had been flown to New York: “TIB has wrongly stated that the delegation exceeds 100 members. The actual count is 62 – only slightly higher than last year’s 57. It should also be remembered that last year’s number excluded six senior politicians who attended at the invitation of the chief adviser.”

According to him, nearly one-third of the delegation are security officials tasked with protecting senior leaders, including Professor Muhammad Yunus, due to what he termed “credible security risks from Awami League loyalists.”

“Even with this arrangement, the security team is overstretched, with many officers working up to 16 hours a day to ensure adequate coverage,” he noted.

Explaining the necessity behind the team’s composition, Shafiqul said this year’s UNGA holds “exceptional importance” for Bangladesh at a time when “deliberate attempts are being made to undermine” its democratic transition.

He pointed out that several of the delegates will also represent Bangladesh at the September 30 Rohingya Conference, a sign of Dhaka’s ongoing leadership on one of the region’s most pressing humanitarian and security crises.

He further added that a number of political leaders and advisers travelled separately from the main delegation to hold meetings with international counterparts.

“Top leaders of Bangladesh’s most popular political parties were invited to attend, supported by officials assigned to assist them. This inclusive participation demonstrates one clear message: Bangladesh is committed to a peaceful and democratic handover of power,” Alam said.

TIB’s statement: The rebuttal followed a statement the previous day from TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, who sharply criticised the interim authority for “replicating the practices of the deposed authoritarian regime” by sending what he called a “needlessly large group” to the UNGA at taxpayers’ expense.

He said, “During the previous regime, sending oversized delegations to the UNGA was common, sometimes surpassing two hundred members.

There was a public expectation that such wasteful practices would end under the interim government, born out of a bloody student-led uprising. Unfortunately, the current government has chosen the same path.”