Momen inaugurates Bangabandhu lounge in NY

Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen, who is now on an official tour in the US, has formally inaugurated the newly established Bangabandhu Lounge at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in the UN in New York.

“The lounge houses a rich collection of books, photos, documentaries, and graphical display on the life and work of the Father of the Nation. It demonstrates Bangabandhu’s trust and faith in multilateralism; particularly the UN,” said the foreign minister while inaugurating the Lounge on Monday, according to a release received here today.

Bangladesh permanent mission set up the lounge last year as part of the celebration of birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“This lounge will serve as a reminder of Bangabandhu’s legacy and vision for world peace,” said Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima.

This lounge will be also used as a venue for high level meetings of visiting dignitaries from the UN and the member states offering an opportunity to them to learn about Bangabandhu’s ideals and visions.

Under the leadership of Bangabandhu, Bangladesh joined the UN in 1974 and since then it is playing an outstanding role in multilateral system.

Later Dr Momen met with Under Secretary General, Department of Operational Support at the UN Secretariat Atul Khare.

During the meeting, the foreign minister reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to peacekeeping and thanked the Under Secretary General for their support to Bangladesh, especially for including Bangladesh Biman to transport the peacekeepers to the field.

Khare expressed his deep appreciation to Bangladesh for its readiness to deploy peacekeepers with enabling assets and thanked Dhaka for its leadership in implementing the UN’s environmental strategy in the field.

He also welcomed the proposal of the Bangladesh foreign minister to invest in strategic communications showcasing women in peacekeeping in an effort to increase participation of women in this field.

Momen reached New York on 13 June 2021 to attend important meetings at the United Nations.Among others, he will attend the Joint Thematic event on LDCs at the United Nations General Assembly, and two important events “The current Situation in Myanmar: implication for the Rohingya minority” and “Building Resilience for Sustainable and Irreversible Graduation of the LDCs” organized by Bangladesh, along with other UN Member States and UN Secretariat.

He is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General, President of the General Assembly, and other High Level UN dignitaries during his week-long visit.

Currently, Bangladesh is serving as the Vice-President of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board, facilitating the intergovernmental consultations on the alignment of the agendas of the UN General Assembly and co-charing the Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee for the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries to be held from 23 to 27 January 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

This year, Bangladesh has also been elected as a vice-President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.