Bangladesh elected member of UN's central drug policy-making body

Bangladesh has been elected member of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN's central drug policy-making body, for a three-year term beginning from January 2022.

The "highly competitive" election of the CND, also a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), was held on Tuesday at the ECOSOC Management meeting.

Along with Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea and Iran have also been elected to this body from the Asia Pacific Group.

"The election was highly competitive but Bangladesh managed to secure second highest (43) votes. This demonstrates the trust that the international community reposes on Bangladesh in the multilateral fora," said Ambassador Rabab Fatima, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN after the election.

She said Bangladesh attaches high importance to addressing the global drug problem in all its dimensions.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government has been taking strong measures at the national level, and working closely with others at the regional and international levels to address illicit drug trading, said the envoy.

"As a member of the Commission, we would make every effort to foster international cooperation in combating the menace of drugs," said Ambassador Fatima. 

Based in Vienna, the CND is a 53-member body that reviews and analyses the global drug situation, considering supply and demand reduction, and takes action through resolutions and decisions.

Bangladesh has also been re-elected member of the Executive Board of UNICEF and the Executive Board of UN Women for another term starting from January 2022 in the elections held at the ECOSOC Management meeting. The elections were also held on Tuesday.

Bangladesh is currently serving each of the two bodies as member.

The executive boards of these two important UN organisations are the main governing bodies.