The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Masum Billah

Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary General of United Nations, ended his four nation South Asia tour visiting Bangladesh at the beginning of this week. He toured India, the Philippines, and Nepal before coming to Bangladesh.

Our foreign Advisor Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said about the visit of Secretary General "UN Secretary General's visit would be in recognition of various achievements made by the country." Ban said that Bangladesh is the second contributor to UN peacekeeping force with more than 9000 troops and police officers.. He recalled his first visit to Bangladesh in 1975 as a Korean government official. He lauded the warm hospitality of the people of Bangladesh and was impressed to witness the development Bangladesh achieved in the last three decades.

Listing the laudable achievements he said, "They defended their language when it was threatened, they fought for independence when the odds stood against them, they reduced the rate of population reached alarming levels and they gave the poor a change to prove their credit worthiness through micro-credit."

He visited a micro-financing program of Grameen Bank in Bogra and a UN funded disaster reduction and climate adaptation programme in Sirafgonj. He was impressed to see the development Bangladesh made in some sectors. The work of NGOs and rural communities made him impressed and he expressed his hope that a huge potentialities lie ahead for Bangladesh. It is known to us that due to political instability and crisis we lag behind. In this respect Ban's comment makes us hopeful " You new face the challenge of ensuring a smooth return to a better democracy-a democracy that is sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people. In making this happen I hope that the country and its leaders will be inspired by the best of Bangladesh's history and its rich cultural heritage. I saw clearly that democracy belongs in Bangladesh, there is no insurmountable obstacle to sustainable democracy after the election in December. "

Really the December ballot is a historic opportunity for us. Now is the moment to stand against the polarization and violence that have chartreuse our past elections.

This is an opportunity for the country and in particular the political parties to address the serious problems that have given rise to the politics of confrontation and violence. Ban said, "Much commendable work has been done to prepare for a credible election in December.

The photo voter list commands widespread confidence. I am proud that the UN was able to contribute toward the important achievement." Ban has a long experience of international affairs. He was a member of the Republic of Korea; the eighth Secretary General of the UN brings to his post 37 years of service both in government and on the global stage.

He was in his country's Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including foreign policy, Adviser to the president, Chief National Security Adviser to the president, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director General of American Affairs have made him mature and rich in the present global stage and crisis. he has long-standing ties with the UN dating back to 1975 when he worked for the Foreign Ministry's United Nation Division. We hope his exercise will see its full potential to address the un-resolving issues the preset world faces.

Ban was born on 13 June, 1944. He and his wife Madam Yoo Soon taek, met in high school in 1962. They are blessed with one son and two daughters. Ban speaks Korean, English and French.

Ban met the president, Chief Advisor , top ranking leaders of big political parties and the chief of Armed forces and the He was ensured by Caretaker government and military leadership that they would ensure the forthcoming election will be free, fare and credible and there will be no intervention and interference in any political process.

He told the political parties that they should play a responsible role and there should be fair competition and they should respect the poll results and have full cooperation based on democratic rules among themselves. It is hoped by all democratic minded people that the culture of blame game and vote rigging will come to an end and they will honour the words of the world human guardian Ban Ki-moon.

Bangladesh is implementing an national plan of action for Education for All launched in 2003. The recent UNESCO report reveals that 18 million more teachers are needed worldwide if universal primary education is to be achieved by 2015.it is one of the potential threats to reach the goal. Bangladesh is one those countries. UN's active role is expected in this regard. Our future government must deal with this affair in close collaboration with the UN.

He spoke on climate change and global financial crisis. Bangladesh is sub-tropical country which is vulnerable to global warming and its effects on crops, oil, insect, weeds and disease have been alarming. People of Bangladesh urges to set up a climate research institute in Dhaka with the help of UNO. Of course, such kind of demand was not raised by any quarter whom he talked to. We do hope the future movement will take initiative concerning the issue.

In spite of political crisis and frequent natural disasters Bangladesh has emerged as an important player in the developing world. Ban Ki-moon's visit further proves it.