Bangladesh prime minister frames post-election agenda at UNGA, pledges recovery and reconstruction

Tarik Rahman, Prime Minister of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, opened his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly by congratulating the assembly's newly elected president and pledging Bangladesh's cooperation.

Rahman said the people of Bangladesh entrusted the Bangladesh Nationalist Party with governing authority following a "free, fair and impartial national election held on 12th February this year." He framed his government's immediate priorities as a three-R strategy of "recovery, restoration, and reconstruction" aimed at repairing what he described as the effects of prior authoritarian rule. "A vast horizon of opportunities has now opened before Bangladesh," Rahman said.

The prime minister tied domestic reform to economic transformation, calling for programs to convert a large working-age population into a skilled labor force and to foster startups and manufacturing. He said his administration has allocated "$50 million US in the current fiscal year" to support initiatives for youth entrepreneurship and job creation.

Rahman also emphasized the government's intention to align domestic programs with the 2030 Agenda, stating that "at least 73% of the activities under the government's 31-point program have a direct alignment and 27% an indirect alignment with the United Nations sustainable development goals."