Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Irene Zubaida Khan, has called for human rights to be prioritised in economic policymaking and global financial governance.
She made the call at a high-level dialogue titled “The Political Economy of Human Rights” held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, said a press release received here today.
Ambassador Khan said economic progress should not be measured by growth alone, but also by its contribution to improving people’s living standards, reducing inequality, and safeguarding human dignity and fundamental rights.
To achieve these goals, she emphasised the need for fair taxation, affordable development financing, sustainable debt management, and reforms to the international financial architecture.
Speaking at the event, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said economic and political power was increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals and groups.
He also identified rising military expenditure, mounting debt burdens, and economic inequality as major obstacles to human rights protection.
Participants noted that conflicts, high debt-servicing costs, and declining development assistance were undermining essential investments in education, healthcare, social protection, and sustainable peacebuilding.
They stressed the importance of equitable international tax systems, fairness in debt restructuring, transparency and accountability in financial management, and meaningful civil society participation to address these challenges, tackle structural inequalities, and protect the rights of vulnerable populations.
The dialogue was jointly organised by the Permanent Missions of Bangladesh, Morocco, South Africa, and Uruguay to the United Nations.
Ambassadors from the participating countries, a representative of the European Union, and experts on human rights and development attended the event.
The discussion underscored the need to reform global economic governance and ensure that human rights remain a priority in the global development agenda beyond 2030.
