A formal framework for frequent talks across the entire range of bilateral cooperation was established on Wednesday when Bangladesh and Uganda signed an agreement on the start of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC).
The Bangladeshi team was led by Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain, and the signing occurred on the fringes of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Mid-Term Ministerial Conference in Kampala, Uganda, according to a message issued here today.
The Foreign Adviser had earlier in the day urged NAM to remain united and to overhaul its decision-making process in order to revitalize the Movement and empower member nations to better confront common vulnerabilities.
Speaking at the plenary of the conference, Touhid Hossain urged NAM members to concentrate more on “unity than on fragmentation and mistrust” and to build on the founding ideals of equality, solidarity and justice.
“At a time when we are discussing reforms across the United Nations (UN), we should also consider streamlining NAM’s decision-making process to re-energize the Movement’s unity,” he said.
The Adviser noted that, following last year’s mass uprising, the people of Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to undertake reforms to strengthen institutions, ensure rights and uphold accountability. “It is now of critical importance to invest in empowering women and harnessing the power of youth to build a strong and prosperous nation,” he added.
Later in the afternoon, the Foreign Adviser attended the NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine, of which Bangladesh is a member.
He underlined Bangladesh’s support for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 boundaries with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine, as well as the country’s unflinching dedication to the Palestinian cause and the recently agreed truce in Gaza.
In addition, Touhid Hossain called on the international community to assist in ensuring the safe and voluntary return of over a million Rohingyas who were forcibly fled from Myanmar, highlighting Bangladesh’s ongoing humanitarian burden in doing so.
The Bangladeshi delegation is being led by the Foreign Advisor at the 19th Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of NAM, which is taking place in Kampala with the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.”
The conference is expected to adopt a political declaration and a ministerial declaration on Palestine at its closing session today. With 120 members as of right now, the Non-Aligned Movement, which was founded in 1961, continues to be the largest association of countries outside of official military or political blocs in the globe.
Under President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s direction, Uganda took over as NAM chairman for four years in 2024, launching a new era of South-South collaboration.
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