Bangladesh has won an election for the membership of a key drug body of the United Nations. The country’s three-year term for the Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND) will begin in January next year. 

“The election was highly competitive but Bangladesh managed to secure second highest (43) votes,” Rabab Fatima, Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN, was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

She further said, “This demonstrates the trust that the international community re-poses on Bangladesh in the multilateral fora.” Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Iran are other nations elected to the same body from the Asia Pacific group.

The CND, a 53 members body, reviews, and analyses the global drug situation, considering supply and demand reduction, and takes action through resolutions and decisions.

Under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, Fatima said, the Bangladesh government has been taking measures to address the drug problem. The country would work closely with other regional and international partners, she added. 

On Tuesday, Bangladesh has also been re-elected to the Executive Board of UNICEF and the Executive Board of UN Women for another term starting from January 2022 in the elections held at the ECOSOC Management meeting. Bangladesh is currently serving each of the two bodies as a member.