Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s strong commitment to democracy, equality and inclusion.
“Global decisions must be responsive to the needs and aspirations of all nations,” he said at the 14th Bali Democracy Forum.
While speaking at a session on “Democracy and Humanity: Addressing inequality” as one of the panelists on Thursday, Dr Momen highlighted the people-centric inclusive development policies of the government of Bangladesh.
He underlined that with a strong leadership at the helm, the country has come a long way in its journey as a democratic nation through poverty alleviation, food security, health and education for all, women empowerment.
“In its response to the pandemic, the government has remained true to its democratic values and placed vulnerable section of our society at the centre of our recovery plan,” said the Foreign Minister.
Acknowledging the important role of vibrant civil society, press and media, Dr. Momen said during the peak of the pandemic, they continued to remain frontline fighters and helped raise public awareness and ensured efficiency and accountability in service delivery.
The Foreign Minister underscored the need for ensuring a democratic global governance by ensuring equal voice of all nations in all global decision-making processes.
He reiterated his call for equitable access to vaccine through dose donation as well as through patent waiver, knowledge sharing and capacity-building of the countries of global South.
Dr. Momen also emphasized the importance education as an “enabler of democracy” and called for addressing the “digital divide.”
The Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) was established in 2008 to create a progressive democratic architecture in the Asia-Pacific region.
Since its inception, the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) has become an annual forum to share experiences and best practices.
Source: United News of Bangladesh