Bangladesh pledges irreversible reforms, national polls in February

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said Bangladesh is committed to irreversible democratic reforms, institutional accountability, and the protection of human rights, ensuring that “no autocrat can ever return” and no elected leader can destroy democracy.

“Our goal is clear: to create a democratic order where power is balanced, where no autocrat can ever return, where no elected leader can destroy democracy, and where those who are meant to protect the people can never again prey upon them,” he said.

The head of the interim government added: “To realize this vision, we established eleven independent commissions on governance, the judiciary, elections, public administration, law enforcement, anti-corruption, women’s rights, and other vital areas. These commissions consulted citizens, studied deeply, and produced detailed proposals for reform”.

The Chief Adviser said this while addressing the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) here the USA. President of the UNGA Annalena Baerbock presided over the session.

Highlighting the government’s sincere effort to make fruitful reforms, Professor Yunus said: “We could have chosen the easy path: reforms imposed by executive order. But we chose the hard path: reforms built through inclusion and sustained through consensus. We chose the path that endures.”

About the next general election, he said, “Now, as we prepare for national elections in February next year, we remain steadfast in carrying forward reforms that place citizens at the center. Our focus is unchanging: transparency, accountability, and the rule of law”.

Noting that out of every hundred people on this planet nearly three live in Bangladesh, he said, “But our story is not important because of our numbers, nor because of our geopolitical location. Our story matters because it is a reminder of the extraordinary power of ordinary people”.

Recalling the July Uprising, the Chief Adviser said, “It was our youth who stood up, it was our youth who defeated tyranny, and it was our youth who opened the path to a new journey of building a just and equal society”.

Professor Yunus also detailed steps to strengthen human rights protection, including inviting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate and document the human rights violations and atrocities committed by the fallen autocracy, acceding to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, joining the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and authorizing a three-year mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangladesh.

“All these steps and commitments reflect the aspirations of our people. And those aspirations are clear: to build a democratic, inclusive, and pluralistic society,” he said.

On development priorities, the Chief Adviser outlined three guiding principles — good governance, social inclusion, and sustainable development — and emphasized that “without accountability, development is temporary and fragile.”

He warned that infrastructure projects driven by corruption and narrow political interests not only burden the economy, they fail to serve the people.

“When we assumed responsibility, we uncovered the vast scale of corruption and theft of public resources, and the severe economic vulnerability it had created. We are determined to put an end to this, so that development is never again used as an excuse to plunder the wealth of the people,” the Chief Adviser said.

About economic reforms, Professor Yunus said, “To stabilize the fragile economy, we have taken difficult but necessary reform decisions.”

Among the most important is reform of the revenue collection system, he said, adding, for the first time, legislation has been enacted to separate the policy-making body from the implementing authority.

“This ensures transparency and accountability, and it will expand our revenue base. These measures are fully aligned with the Sevilla Commitment adopted at the recent FFD4 Conference,” Professor Yunus said.

“Just as Bangladesh is striving to implement reforms in line with the Sevilla Commitment, we hope that the developed world will also honor their responsibilities under that collective pledge,” he added.

He further urged reform of decision-making in global financial institutions, an inclusive framework for international tax cooperation, coordinated action against illicit financial flows, and international collaboration to recover stolen and illicit assets. (BSS)