Tarique Rahman at the United Nations: A New Horizon of Possibilities

The United Nations has never been just a ceremonial gathering of world leaders; it is where a country brings its history, its struggles, its sovereignty and its hopes for the future to the global stage.

For Bangladesh, this platform carries a unique weight. Emerging from a devastating war of liberation, the country turned to the UN from its earliest days to find international recognition, rebuild an economy from scratch, and secure its place as a peaceful, independent nation.

Admitted on September 17, 1974, as the 136th member state, Bangladesh has spent the past half-century transforming from a war-torn, aid-dependent nation into an active international contributor- known today for its frontline role in peacekeeping missions, climate diplomacy and the empowerment of women.

That trajectory was shaped by different leaders who responded to the crises of their own times.

Within Bangladesh’s nationalist political tradition, three figures- Martyred President Ziaur Rahman, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman- mark distinct historical chapters.

While each faced a very different world, their diplomatic approaches shared an unmistakable core: guarding sovereign equality, putting national interests ahead of external pressure and using foreign relations to genuinely help the country develop.

With Prime Minister Tarique Rahman set to address the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2026, his presence represents a fresh opportunity to show how a transitioning democracy plans to govern at home and engage abroad.

When Ziaur Rahman took office, Bangladesh was in a precarious spot.

The economy was shattered, food insecurity was rampant and the country’s diplomatic options were painfully limited.

Ziaur Rahman made a conscious decision to shift away from leaning too heavily on any single power bloc.

He steadily opened doors across the Muslim world, China, the West and neighboring Asian nations, carving out breathing room for Dhaka.

Underpinning this was his idea of Bangladeshi Nationalism- the belief that the nation’s people, geography and distinct culture gave it every right to stand tall as an equal, beholden to no one.

That quiet, pragmatic confidence showed quick results. A striking moment came when Bangladesh won a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 1979-1980 term, besting a far more influential diplomatic rival just years after joining the organization.

In the Security Council, Dhaka took principled stands against apartheid in South Africa, called out regional aggression and championed self-determination in the Middle East.

At the 1980 UN Special Session, Zia pushed hard for a New International Economic Order, warning that poor, energy-importing nations would suffocate under soaring debts and rigged trade rules without meaningful reforms.

His diplomatic outreach to the Gulf also opened the doors for millions of Bangladeshi migrant workers, whose remittances remain the backbone of the economy today.

Around the same time, his vision of institutional cooperation among neighboring states planted the first seeds of SAARC.

By the time Begum Khaleda Zia became Bangladesh’s first female prime minister in 1991, the context had shifted entirely.

Autocratic military rule had collapsed, and parliamentary democracy was back. Navigating a post-Cold War era driven by market reforms and globalization, her foreign policy drew its real strength from human development at home.

Under her watch, Bangladesh pioneered female secondary education stipends and free tuition for girls, which drastically improved school enrollment and sparked a social transformation.

Millions of women entered the workforce, driven by a booming garment export sector. When Khaleda Zia spoke at international gatherings, Bangladesh was no longer perceived simply as a flood-stricken basket case; it was seen as a resilient society finding practical ways to lift its people out of poverty.

Her tenure also saw Bangladesh turn UN Peacekeeping from an ad-hoc arrangement into a proud cornerstone of its international identity.

Bangladeshi blue helmets built a reputation for professional integrity, discipline, and empathy in deep-rooted conflict zones around the world.

On sensitive regional matters, her government fought for the fair sharing of transboundary waters- framing the Ganges dispute around environmental justice and international riparian law- and handled the initial waves of the Rohingya refugee crisis by insisting that any lasting solution required safe, dignified and guaranteed repatriation back to Myanmar.

Today, Tarique Rahman steps onto the UN stage in a world that feels significantly more dangerous and fragmented.

Global politics is roiled by major-power rivalry, regional wars, crushing sovereign debt, climate shocks and the unpredictable disruption of artificial intelligence. If his address is to resonate, it has to offer more than polished diplomatic talking points.

It must present a credible blueprint for a “new Bangladesh”- one grounded in an open democracy, genuine judicial independence, anti-corruption reforms and institutional accountability.

His foreign policy approach, anchored in “Bangladesh First,” aims to articulate a clear philosophy: Dhaka will seek friends and constructive partners everywhere, but it will not accept master-servant relationships from nowhere.

This means rebuilding institutional credibility at home, cooling down zero-sum political revenge, keeping a balanced foreign policy that avoids getting dragged into big-power tug-of-wars and fiercely protecting national interests in water, energy and borders.

The climate emergency is where Bangladesh has every right to demand accountability.

Having contributed practically nothing to global carbon emissions, the country is nonetheless taking the brunt of rising seas, cyclones and land erosion that displace thousands of families every year.

At the UN, Bangladesh needs to frame this not as charity, but as climate justice.

That means pressing the international community for the immediate release of funds from the Loss and Damage mechanism, pushing for direct adaptation grants instead of debt-creating loans, securing legal protections for climate refugees and getting clean technology into the hands of developing states.

With Bangladesh preparing to graduate from Least Developed Country status, the loss of old tariff preferences means the country has to sharpen its economic diplomacy.

The New York trip offers a chance to look beyond basic garments and pitch foreign investors on pharmaceuticals, information technology, agro-processing and light manufacturing.

Encouraging Gulf sovereign wealth funds to invest in deep-sea port logistics, renewable grids and industrial transport is critical.

So is overhauling the labor export model: moving away from sending only low-skilled labor and instead training engineers, programmers and medical professionals.

Yet foreign capital will not arrive on good speeches alone; investors want stable policies, steady electricity, functional ports and contracts that courts will actually enforce.

The agenda must also address emerging frontiers. Artificial intelligence is already creating a massive digital divide, leaving developing nations dependent on proprietary systems built elsewhere.

Bangladesh should speak up for fair, decentralized AI governance, the inclusion of under-represented languages like Bengali in major models and protection for workers displaced by automation.

Similarly, Bangladesh’s position along the Bay of Bengal requires steady, non-aligned stewardship- keeping sea lanes open, promoting offshore energy and sustainable fisheries and resisting attempts to pull the region into military confrontations.

Engaging the large Bangladeshi diaspora, not as partisan party wings but as vital resources of capital, know-how and technical expertise, should be part of this renewal. Looking across these three eras reveals an evolving journey.

Ziaur Rahman built the early framework of sovereign, balanced multilateralism; Khaleda Zia used democratic legitimacy and human-centric progress to raise the nation’s standing and Tarique Rahman now faces the task of steering Bangladesh through technological disruptions, green transitions and economic modernization.

A compelling speech at the United Nations can capture headlines, but its lasting value is judged by what happens when the delegation returns home.

The government should be transparent about what was accomplished, following up with clear public updates on bilateral commitments, climate financing discussions and investment deals.

The ultimate test of diplomacy is whether it creates tangible benefits for ordinary citizens- more jobs, better energy security, fairer trade and an economy that works for everyone.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has the global platform; the challenge now is turning that moment into real, lasting progress for the people of Bangladesh.

(Author: Political Analyst and Teacher, University of Dhaka, Email: drsaiful@du.ac.bd)