DHAKA, Sept 30, 2020 (BSS) – Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen
has underscored the need for a ‘change of mindset’ to achieve lasting
peace and stability in the world.
He mentioned it in his recorded statement delivered at the Annual
High-Level Meeting of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization
(UNAoC) Group of Friends on Tuesday.
The Foreign Minister said that the world must inculcate a mindset of
tolerance, a mindset of respect and love for others irrespective of
religion, ethnicity, colour and race to achieve peace and harmony.
The Alliance of Civilization can be an effective ‘soft power’ to
bring about changes in the mindset of people which is essential for a
sustainable world of peace and stability, he continued.
Highlighting multifaceted challenges that the pandemic Covid-19 has
generated in the societies, he underscored the need for building
cohesive and inclusive societies to fight the menace of mistrusts,
intolerance, hate speech and xenophobia that the pandemic has given
rise to.
The foreign minister said, “Bangladesh greatly values the principles
of tolerance, secularism, ethnic diversity and communal harmony, which
are embedded in our Constitution.”
“Our peace-centric, tolerant state policy has indeed been shaped by
the vision of the of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman who boldly stated in his maiden speech in the UN on
25th September 1974, “Peace is an imperative for the survival of
mankind,” he said.
This vision of peace has also guided Bangladesh to embrace a
‘Culture of Peace’ and encouraged us to sponsor a resolution on this
theme in the UN for the last 21 years.
The Foreign Minister also emphasized inclusion, forging partnership,
and respecting diversity as critical in our efforts to build back
better from the devastating fallout of the Covid-19.
He further underlined the need for utilizing lessons-learnt from
past crises and reinforces social cohesion and peaceful coexistence to
contribute to preventing social tensions between individuals and
communities in this challenging time.