Bangladesh has, for the first time, assumed the chairmanship of the Bureau of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The responsibility was formally taken up in Geneva at the United Nations Office by Bangladesh Permanent Representative Ambassador Nahida Sobhani, a move widely viewed as a significant diplomatic achievement for Dhaka on the global stage, said a press release.
The ExCom Bureau plays a key role in providing strategic guidance to UNHCR’s overall operations, while also fostering consensus among member states on global refugee issues and forced displacement.
Bangladesh has never before served in the Bureau since the operationalisation of the UNHCR Executive Committee in 1959.
Ambassador Nahida, a career diplomat, has previously served in Rome, Kolkata, Geneva, Jordan and Canada and as Director General of the UN Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
