Shama leaves for US to attend UN meeting

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam left Dhaka on Tuesday to attend the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York.

The three-day event, scheduled for June 17-19, will bring together policymakers, diplomats, humanitarian agencies and development partners to discuss global humanitarian challenges and response strategies.

During the visit, Shama is expected to take part in a series of discussions and engagements focusing on humanitarian issues and international cooperation.

She is scheduled to return home on June 20.
This year’s Humanitarian Affairs Segment will be chaired by Héctor Gómez Hernández, Vice-President of ECOSOC and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations.

The ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment serves as a key global platform for addressing humanitarian crises, disaster management and the coordination of relief assistance.

Each year, it brings together UN member states, UN agencies, donor countries and humanitarian partners to adopt a consensus humanitarian resolution and discuss pressing global challenges.

Discussions at this year’s session are expected to focus on strengthening international humanitarian assistance, enhancing collective responses to increasingly complex humanitarian emergencies, ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law and addressing the humanitarian consequences of climate change.

Representatives from member states, humanitarian organisations, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and crisis-affected communities are expected to participate in the event.