The Ministry Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said there is no scope for any country, as advised by the UN headquarters, to hold any side events during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) next month due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision to hold any event on the sidelines of the UNGA depends on the country concerned and there is no need to take permission from the United Nation, said the MoFA in a media release as it dismissed a media report on this as “misleading”.
The ministry, however, said the concerned country discusses with the concerned authorities for logistic and technical supports if that country wants to hold any event on the sidelines at the UN headquarters.
The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will open on September 14. The first day of the high-level General Debate will begin September 21.
The UN has already shared the Covid-19 related guidelines and Bangladesh is trying to hold some side events maintaining health protocols.
Many side events were arranged in the six years when Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen was a Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN which helped brighten Bangladesh’s image in the international arena and protect Bangladesh’s interest, said the ministry.
No permission was required to host such side events at the UN headquarters, it said.
Currently made up of 193 member states, the UN and its work are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
Source: United News of Bangladesh