Tarique Rahman at the United Nations: Bangladesh’s New Journey and Global Aspirations
The presence of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York was a milestone for Bangladesh in its interactions with the rest of the world. In the course of his five-day visit from September 21 to 27, 2026, he made the national concerns and hopes of Bangladesh known to the world leaders through several high level discussions about peace and security in the world, climate change, sustainable development, economic cooperation, migration and the Rohingya crisis that has been going on for long. His first speech at the UN General Assembly was delivered in Bangla language on September 24.
Moreover, the importance of Bangladesh attending the 81st Session of General Assembly was highlighted by the fact that Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman was heading the General Assembly as its President. He was elected as the President of General Assembly on June 2, 2026, being the first Bengali president of the UN General Assembly. The theme of the 81st Session of General Assembly was “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: a United Nations that Delivers for All.”
In the light of this context, the speech by Tarique Rahman was centered around Bangladesh’s dream of a peaceful, democratic and inclusive society as well as on those issues which were posing threats to the international community. It was stated by him that his country was committed to multilateralism and advocated the resolution of disputes through dialogue and cooperation. In addition to this, he appreciated the contribution of Bangladesh to UN Peace keeping and peace building and also mentioned the involvement of women from Bangladesh in international peace and security initiatives.
The Prime Minister also shared the vision of the Government of Bangladesh for the internal transformation of Bangladesh. He described a three-point strategy of Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction as being the way forward by which the government was seeking to reconstruct the country. The speech stressed the issues of empowerment, equality of opportunity, employment of youth, education and skills training, women’s empowerment, innovation, social protection and the use of modern technologies. The PM spoke of turning the large working-age population of the country into skilled human resource.
Climate Change was another very important issue of the Bangladeshi engagement at the United Nations. Being one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change but contributing less than others in the matter of emitting greenhouse gases, Bangladesh took the platform of the UN to advocate for greater international efforts in respect of climate justice, adaptation and climate finance. In his General Assembly Address, Tarique Rahman spoke of greater action on the issue of climate finance and adaptation before COP31.
Climate diplomacy went further than the GA discussion. In a meeting at the United Nations on September 24th, he pointed out the danger of rising sea level for the world and stressed the importance of four immediate and serious actions at the international level, which include reduction of emissions, adaptation funds, access to climate resilient technology and more collaboration at the international level to solve the problem of displacement and damages caused by climate change. Referring to studies, he said that the increase in sea level by 25 centimeters can drown up to 4% of the landmass of Bangladesh by 2050 and can affect about 10 million people.
The Prime Minister in the same meeting discussed many initiatives taken by Bangladesh regarding climate resilience and adaptation. This includes digging up of 20,000 km of rivers and canals within five years, Padma barrage project for water storage and reservoirs, modernizing the Teesta barrage through a master plan and the planting of 250 million trees. The other initiative is the goal of producing 20% power in Bangladesh through renewable energy by the year 2030.
The plight of Rohingyas was another major issue that figured during the visit. On September 23, Mr. Tarique Rahman spoke at a side event organized by the UN in which a durable solution to the decades-long displacement of Rohingyas was the focus. The five key points he made included the need to devise a credible roadmap for an early, safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation process; stop violence and ensure basic rights and security for Rohingyas in Myanmar; provide adequate and sustained humanitarian assistance; ensure justice and accountability; and build regional and international cooperation against human trafficking, drug trade, arms smuggling, cyber fraud and other transnational crimes.
The Prime Minister reiterated that since the problem of Rohingyas arose from Myanmar, a solution to their problem also lies in Myanmar. He added that Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas for over nine years, and had been giving food, healthcare, education and other kinds of humanitarian assistance to them. However, at the same time, he also made it clear that Bangladesh cannot be expected to take responsibility of Rohingyas for an indefinite period of time.
It may be mentioned that the Rohingya crisis was also taken up by Tarique Rahman during his meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, where they exchanged views on Bangladesh’s cooperation with the UN, climate change, sustainable development and the need for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
In the speech he made at the General Assembly session, Tarique Rahman again referred to the safe return of Rohingyas to their native land of Myanmar as the only sustainable solution to the problem. He appealed to the UN and the international community to provide humanitarian assistance till such time as repatriation becomes feasible.
Apart from the issue of climate change and the Rohingya problem, the Prime Minister spoke about larger issues of global peace and migration, and international cooperation. The Prime Minister reiterated that Bangladesh stands by its commitment to support the Palestinians’ right to have an independent state and self-determination. Moreover, he advocated for enhanced international cooperation to secure the rights, respect for dignity and well-being of migrants, and reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to regular and safe migration. Bangladesh’s contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts and its engagement in the Peacebuilding Commission were mentioned.
Moreover, the visit was a diplomatic and economic one as well. Tarique Rahman met the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss issues of trade and investment and diversify economic cooperation. Tarique Rahman had a discussion with the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on trade and investment, skilled manpower, education, technology and cooperation in multilateral fora. Finally, Tarique Rahman met the CEO of the Gates Foundation Mark Suzman to discuss public health, child healthcare, vaccination, affordable vaccination, preventive healthcare and health care system’s modernization.
The aspect of economic diplomacy was quite visible during the visit of New York. An accord was signed between Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Boeing in regards to the purchase of 11 planes as part of Bangladesh’s endeavors to increase its aviation capacity and explore new international routes. It was seen as the indication that the participation of Bangladesh at the UN is not only limited to the political and humanitarian aspects but also involves the economic cooperation and investments.
Also worth mentioning was the historical aspect of the appearance of Tarique Rahman at the United Nations. He became the third member of his family to speak at the UN General Assembly. His father, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, delivered a speech at the General Assembly in 1980 and raised such questions as self-reliance, rural and agricultural development, South Asian cooperation and equitable international economic order. His mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, spoke at the General Assembly in 1993 and elsewhere; she raised such questions as regional cooperation and development, poverty alleviation, education, water sharing of Farakka issue and repatriation of refugees from Myanmar. Almost after three decades, Tarique Rahman appeared at the same international podium as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Indeed, the importance of the visit extended far beyond the one speech. During the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Bangladesh had the opportunity to outline its views on peace, democracy, climate change, sustainable development, migration, humanitarian concerns and the Rohingya crisis along with pursuing its bilateral economic and diplomatic agendas. The presence of a Bangladeshi Foreign Minister as the President of the General Assembly introduced yet another element of importance to this year’s activities of Bangladesh at the UN.
Thus, Tarique Rahman’s inaugural UNGA speech successfully united two aspects of the international diplomacy of Bangladesh – the responsibility and aspirations of the country as a member of the international community, and the aspirations for the new stage of development of the nation. His speech combined appeals for international cooperation on the issues related to Bangladesh with the domestic agenda focused on democratic governance, human development, economic opportunities, resilience to climate changes and social inclusion. Rahman’s attendance to the 81st UN General Assembly became a chance for Bangladesh to outline its priorities before the international community against the background of the testing times of conflicts, displacements, climate change, economic uncertainty and technological revolution.
Author: Professor, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka and Chairman, Foundation for Geointelligence Policy Support.
