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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 1974 speech at the United Nations

On 25 September 1974, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City to the member states' representatives at the General Assembly session. It was the first speech at the United Nations to be given in Bengali, and took place during a period of depression and famine in Bangladesh. The anniversary of the speech has been observed in the U.S. state of New York as Bangladeshi Immigration Day since 2019.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 1974 speech at the United Nations
Part of the 29th session of the United Nations General Assembly
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivering his speech
Native name ১৯৭৪-এ জাতিসংঘে শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের ভাষণ
Date25 September 1974 (1974-09-25)
Time3:00–3:10 p.m. (UTC–4)
VenueUnited Nations General Assembly Hall
LocationHeadquarters of the United Nations, New York City, United States
TypeSpeech
ThemeBangladesh's full membership in the United Nations

Background

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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder and first president of Bangladesh, preferred to deliver speeches in Bengali (his mother tongue and the native language of East Pakistan, previously East Bengal). At the 1952 Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference, held in China, he gave an official speech as the Pakistani representative in his native language instead of English.[1] Rahman insisted on the language at all levels. When the province became independent from Pakistan as the People's Republic of Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Liberation War, he (as prime minister) formed a committee to popularize the language; Bengali became the country's official language, and Rahman refused to sign official documents written in English.[2]

Bangladesh became a member state of the United Nations on 17 September 1974, three years after its independence. Rahman decided that he would address the United Nations General Assembly in Bengali. Minister of State for Information Taheruddin Thakur wrote a draft of the speech and submitted it to him, but he rejected the draft. Foreign secretary Fakhruddin Ahmed and Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh posted in the United Kingdom, wrote and presented another draft and showed it to him. Rahman felt that the draft did not address Bangladeshi reality, and edited it to mention the country's food problems.[3]

A team of 24 members (including Rahman) left the Bangladeshi capital of Dacca (present-day Dhaka) by air on the morning of 23 September, two days before the General Assembly session.[4] Rahman informed the assembly that he would deliver the speech in Bengali; Algerian head of state Houari Boumédiène asked him to speak in English, but he refused.[1] At the time, speeches were not made in languages other than Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish (the official languages of the United Nations).[3][5]

Speech

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Today as I stand before this Assembly I share with you profound satisfaction that the 75 million people of Bangladesh are now represented in this Parliament of Man. For the Bangalee nation this is a historic moment, marking the consummation of the struggle to vindicate its right of self-determination.

—Sheikh Mujibur Rahman[6]

The task of translating of the speech into English was entrusted to Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, who was at the session.[4] Rahman's speech used the motto "friendship with all, enmity with none", which he had adopted as Bangladesh's foreign policy.[7][8] He highlighted the importance of understanding the reality of peace, humanity, brotherhood and interdependence to solve the global economic crisis, and proposed a uniform global economic system. Rahman said that his country would work to solve a number of issues, and thanked those who helped with Bangladeshi freedom.[9] The speech highlighted the situation in Bangladesh, which was experiencing a depression and famine.[10]

Reception

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Rahman's speech was the first in Bengali at the United Nations. It was praised, especially by representatives of third-world member states. UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim called the speech "candid and constructive", and British Foreign Secretary James Callaghan described it as "powerful".[11] According to journalist Santosh Gupta, Rahman established the status of the Bengali language internationally by delivering the speech at the UN General Assembly. Journalist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury compared its promotion of Bengali identity with 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Rabindranath Tagore.[1]

Indian writer Surjit Dasgupta said that the day of the speech was the greatest day in Rahman's life. According to journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan, the speech made Bengali the only language of the Indian subcontinent which was recognised at the United Nations.[4] Writer and educationalist Syed Manzoorul Islam wrote that in the speech, Rahman elevated Bangladesh's image and indirectly sent a message to Middle Eastern countries which opposed its recognition as a country. According to Islam, Rahman inspired other member states to use their languages instead of the United Nations' official languages in the sessions.[12]

Legacy

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As prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina (Rahman's daughter, inspired by him) made speeches in Bengali at United Nations General Assembly sessions.[13] Since 2019, the anniversary of Rahman's speech has been observed as Bangladeshi Immigration Day in New York.[14] The Bangladeshi Posts and Telecommunications Division released a 2020 postage stamp commemorating the speech,[15] and the government released an commemorative e-poster.[16]

A campaign began to commemorate the day for Mujib Year.[14] A resolution, "United Nations International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023", incorporates a quote ("friendship with all, enmity with none") from Rahman's address; its fourteenth paragraph says, "The General Assembly recognizing the importance of combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and unemployment, and emphasizing that friendship to all and malice towards none, in the spirit of constructive cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding, will help to achieve these objectives."[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ghosh, Biswajit (25 September 2023). বঙ্গবন্ধু ও জাতিসংঘে বাংলা ভাষা. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  2. ^ Islam, Udisa (21 February 2022). কেন বাংলা ভাষার প্রচলনে এত জোর দিয়েছিলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Shahjahan, Mohammad (25 September 2021). বঙ্গবন্ধুর জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ: আত্মমর্যাদার নতুন ইতিহাস. NewsBangla24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ ছিল বঙ্গবন্ধুর জীবনের সুন্দরতম ও সর্বশ্রেষ্ঠ দিন. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (in Bengali). 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Official Languages". United Nations. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh (25 September 1974). Address to the United Nations General Assembly (Speech). 29th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. United Nations General Assembly Hall.
  7. ^ Molla, Robel (18 October 2023). "'সকলের সাথে বন্ধুত্ব, কারও সাথে বৈরিতা নয়'— মন্ত্রের উৎস অনুসন্ধান ও প্রাসঙ্গিকা". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b "'সবার সঙ্গে বন্ধুত্ব, কারও সঙ্গে বৈরিতা নয়' যুক্ত হল জাতিসংঘ রেজুলেশনে". Shomoyer Alo (in Bengali). 8 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  9. ^ বিশ্বব্যাপী অর্থনৈতিক সংকট নিরসনে চাই শান্তি মৈত্রী ও সমঝোতার পরিবেশ. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 26 September 1974. p. 1.
  10. ^ জাতিসংঘে বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভাষণ. The Sangbad (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. p. 2.
  11. ^ বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণের ভূয়সী প্রশংসা. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. pp. 1, 6.
  12. ^ Riyad, Syed (24 September 2020). "'জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দিয়ে বিশ্বকে তিনটি বার্তা দেন বঙ্গবন্ধু'". Dhaka Times (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. ^ বইমেলা উদ্বোধনে প্রধানমন্ত্রী : জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দেই বাবার পথ অনুসরণে. Bhorer Kagoj (in Bengali). 2 February 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  14. ^ a b জাতিসংঘে আজ বাংলায় ভাষণ দিয়েছিলেন বঙ্গবন্ধু. The Daily Star (in Bengali). 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  15. ^ জাতিসংঘে বঙ্গবন্ধুর বাংলায় ভাষণ উপলক্ষে স্মারক ডাকটিকিট. Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  16. ^ জাতিসংঘে বঙ্গবন্ধুর প্রথম বাংলায় ভাষণ প্রদান স্মরণে ই-পোস্টার. Daily Jugantor (in Bengali). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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