Bangladesh was elected as a member of the International Maritime Organization Council for 2024-2025 in elections held on Friday at the IMO headquarters in London. This is the first time Bangladesh has been able to become an IMO Council member. IMO is the only UN specialised body that regulates global shipping standards, which affects ship operating flag states, seafarers and maritime safety, security and marine pollution. Bangladesh secured 128 votes out of 166 members states present in a highly competitive election of category C [comprising the developing countries], according to a statement of the Bangladesh High Commission in the UK. "This is a clear manifestation of the confidence and trust that the IMO member states and the international maritime community place on Bangladesh as a maritime nation and its policies and actions under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," said Saida Muna Tasneem, Bangladesh high commissioner to the UK. Earlier last week, Muna, also permanent representative of Bangladesh to the IMO, was unanimously elected as a vice president of the 33rd Session of the IMO Assembly. As a member of the IMO Council, Bangladesh will be able to play its role in the decision-making of the body during its term, and negotiate its international trade (90 percent of which is operated by the sea), its maritime ports' transition into green, digitalised and smarter ports, she also said. Bangladesh has ratified the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling and use of greener fuels, and will also work on the compliance aspects and other critically important issues to Bangladesh's shipping and maritime industry, Muna added.  

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem has been unanimously elected with 150 votes as the first Vice President of the 33rd Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London. This is the first time Bangladesh and its PR has ever been voted to one of the highest positions of the prestigious IMO General Assembly comprised of 175 member states that meets biennially in London to adopt all regulatory, financial, legal, and technical co-operation decisions of the global maritime industry and government. Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid bin Bandar al Saud was elected President on November 27, said the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Tuesday. The Vice President is elected by the IMO Secretariat based on nominations and votes cast by Permanent Representatives of 175 present and voting member states of the IMO Assembly. International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the highest United Nations specialized agency that deals with the Maritime issues globally with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. IMO's work supports the UN sustainable development goals.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for international support for the worst-affected countries by climate displacements to prevent situation from turning into a humanitarian crisis. "Most climate displacements take place within national borders and across borders in some dire situations," she said. The prime minister said this in a video statement that was played at the high-level segment on "Climate Impact on Human Mobility: A Global Call for Solutions" during the 114th Session of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Council held virtually. She said it is estimated that climate change could displace 216 million people by 2050. Among these, 40 million alone would be in South Asia. In Bangladesh, 20 percent of its population lives along the coastal belt. "Sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, frequent floods, and severe cyclones make them vulnerable to forced displacement. Such displacements are happening at a faster pace than we think," she warned. She said that those displaced or trapped due to climate change need to have access to basic services, social protection, and livelihood options. "The adverse impacts on their host communities also need to be addressed in an inclusive manner," she said. Bangladesh, she said, bears the burden of hosting 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar in the coastal district of Cox's Bazar. "Some of these people fall victim to trafficking networks with security risks for the entire region. Such mixed migration flows make the issue of climate mobility even more problematic," she added. The prime minister reaffirmed Bangladesh's position that the impact of climate change on human mobility should be placed high on the international agenda. She also said that Bangladesh is working together with IOM and other partners to highlight the need for effective solutions. "I feel assured that many Small Island Developing states are also taking leadership on this. We are pleased that COP-28, GFMD, and other international forums are attaching due importance to it," she said. In Bangladesh, she said that the government has started taking special initiatives for climate migrants within its modest resources. "Under my flagship Ashrayan project, we are constructing 139 multi-storey buildings in Cox's Bazar to provide safe housing to 4,400 families displaced due to a severe cyclone." She also said this climate rehabilitation project, largest such initiative in the world, is expected to become a local fishing, tourism, and wind power hub. PM Hasina put five suggestions to address the issue of impact of climate change on human mobility. These are: "First, we need to address the climate impact of human mobility in a rights-based manner in line with the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration; Second, we should consider the situation of climate migrants through the lens of climate justice to find context-specific solutions for the loss and damage they suffer. Third, we must get prepared at local, national, and international levels for looking at migration as a climate adaptation strategy where it proves to be the best possible solution; Fourth, we need to review the existing international protection standards to repurpose them for climate migrants, especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups; and Fifth, we should invest in well-researched data and evidence on the impact of climate change on human mobility to build an objective case for it beyond narrow political considerations."