Bangladesh elected to UNESCO Executive Board

Bangladesh has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board at a keenly contested election held during the 42nd General Conference in Paris.

This brings Bangladesh back to the board after two years for the term 2023-27, as per the Foreign Ministry press release. 

This is the third contested election Bangladesh won at UNESCO in the last one and a half years, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

Earlier, Bangladesh was elected to the Executive Council for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in June this year and at the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritages in July 2022.

"Bangladesh's victory at UNESCO is the result of our deep engagement and diplomatic strides at the international fora under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," said Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni who led the Bangladesh delegation at the UNESCO General Conference on Wednesday.

The education minister also expressed gratitude to all UNESCO member states for supporting Bangladesh. She also thanked the Bangladesh Embassy in Paris for the hard work and focused diplomatic engagements with the organization.

"Our pledge is to work in partnership with all to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals," she added.

Earlier on Monday, Bangladesh hosted a diplomatic reception at UNESCO to garner support for its candidature while the campaign highlighted its activities on the five pillars of the SDGs. Bangladesh Ambassador to UNESCO, Khondker M Talha, said that the victory is a cumulative outcome of Bangladesh's constructive engagement with UNESCO and the country's balanced, progressive and principle-based foreign policy.

UNESCO, the UN body mandated for education, culture and science, is the first international organization Bangladesh acceded in 1972.