PM to highlight BD’s new journey at UNGA: Shama

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will advance Bangladesh’s national interests, economic potential and development opportunities globally under the government’s “Bangladesh First” foreign policy during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Saturday.

She said the prime minister would present Bangladesh to the international community as a democratic, confident, responsible and promising nation.

“This year’s session is an extremely important one for Bangladesh. It marks a new journey, a new possibility and a new aspiration,” she said. 

Shama Obaed was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Upcoming UN Conference and Branding of Bangladesh", organised by the Centre for Non-Resident Bangladeshis at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.

The 81st session of the UNGA will open on September 8 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The state minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would also attend a special UN session on the Rohingya crisis to be held during the UNGA.

Describing the Rohingya crisis as a major challenge for Bangladesh, she said its complexity had increased due to the involvement of the Myanmar authorities, the Arakan Army, regional actors and competing international interests.

"In fact, the problem has deepened. A regional complication has been created. Without international pressure, resolving this problem will become very difficult," she said.

She urged Bangladeshis living abroad and civil-society representatives to help mobilise international support for a sustainable solution to the crisis.

"The Rohingya crisis is a big problem for Bangladesh. But it's not Bangladesh's problem. The problem was not created by Bangladesh," she said.

Shama also highlighted Bangladesh's reputation at the United Nations, particularly its contribution to UN peacekeeping operations.
Turning to investment, she said the government wanted to create an environment that would encourage expatriate Bangladeshis and foreign investors to invest in the country.

The Invest Bangladesh Bill, 2026 had been introduced to reduce harassment faced by investors, while efforts were under way to move investment-related services online, she said.

She identified irregular migration as another major obstacle to Bangladesh's international image, saying many Bangladeshis were being deceived after travelling abroad with forged documents arranged by middlemen.

To address the issue, a migration wing had been established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was working jointly with the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, she said.

On the government's economic priorities, Shama said economic diplomacy was a major component of its manifesto.
She said the government had inherited what she described as a "broken economy" and a "broken banking sector", and restoring them to a sound footing would take time.

According to her, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had been working from the outset to improve transparency and accountability in the banking sector and create a more investor-friendly environment for foreign investors and non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs).

Centre for NRB Chairperson M S Shekil Chowdhury, CPD Executive Director Dr Nazneen Ahmed and others also spoke at the event.