Staff Reporter: Bangladesh has been elected a member of the United Nations Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND) for the next three years. The new council of CND, an affiliate of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), will take office in January 2022. The election was held on Tuesday (April 20) local time by a direct vote of the member states at the ECOSOC management meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. In addition to Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Iran were elected members of the organization’s executive council from the Asia-Pacific region.
“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.
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 level to address illicit drug trading.
“We are particularly concerned by the growing use of illicit drugs and substances by the young generation, which needs to be addressed from a correctional perspective. As a member of the Commission, we would make every effort to foster international cooperation in combating the menace of drugs”, added Ambassador Fatima.
Based in Vienna, the CND is a 53-member body that reviews and analyzes the global drug situation, considering supply and demand reduction and takes action through resolutions and decisions.
Bangladesh has also been re-elected to the Executive Board of UNICEF and the Executive Board of UN Women for another term starting from January 2022 at the elections held at the ECOSOC Management meeting today. It may be mentioned that Bangladesh is currently serving this two bodies as members. The executive boards of these two important UN organizations are the main governing bodies.
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