Bangladesh elected as UNHCR Executive Committee Bureau Chair for the first time

Bangladesh has been elected as the Chair of the UNHCR Executive Committee Bureau for the first time.

Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organizations, took charge of the position on Tuesday.

A press release from the Bangladesh Mission in Geneva said that Bangladesh has never served on the Executive Committee Bureau since the UNHCR Executive Committee began its operations in 1959.

The press release said that the Executive Committee Bureau is a four-member leadership structure that provides direction to the Committee's work and helps build consensus among member states on various issues related to global refugees and forced displacement.

The Bangladesh Mission described Bangladesh's inclusion in the Executive Committee Bureau for the first time and assuming this leadership role as a "significant milestone" in the international arena.

The press release, outlining the selection process for the post, said, "Bangladesh was nominated as the unanimous regional candidate following internal consultations within the Asia-Pacific Group and Algeria and Austria, representing two different regional groups, formally supported the nomination, which reflects the broad support for Bangladesh's leadership across various regional groups. Her nomination was later supported by all 110 member states of the Executive Committee. Bangladesh's election as the President reflects the international community's confidence in the newly elected Bangladeshi leadership and the country's growing influence in the multilateral system."

A career diplomat, Ambassador Nahida Sobhan has served in various Bangladeshi missions in Rome, Geneva and Kolkata. She has served as Bangladesh's Ambassador to Jordan and Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Canada. She was previously the Director General of the United Nations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During that time, she worked closely with various UN agencies, including UNHCR, to address the Rohingya crisis. Nahida Sobhan has also served as the Member-Secretary of the National Task Force on Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Citizens (FDMN), which oversees the coordination of national policies, humanitarian assistance activities and related activities related to the Rohingya in Bangladesh.

The press release said, “This appointment reflects the international community’s recognition of Bangladesh’s constructive leadership on humanitarian and forced displacement issues. In particular, this election assumes special significance in the context of Bangladesh currently hosting approximately 1.3 million Rohingya displaced from Myanmar and consistently advocating for their safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return.”