DHAKA, 8 December 2020, (TON):  Rabab Fatima, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has been elected the vice president of the United Nations’ three organs,

including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Office for Project Services.

The election was held at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York on Monday. The president of the board was elected from the ambassador of Bulgaria and other vice presidents from the ambassador of the Netherlands and the Gambia.

According to a press release of Bangladesh's mission, Bangladesh will be able to work closely with these board members and the leaders of these boards and provide them strategic guidance to their work.

This election represents the trust and confidence of the UN in Bangladesh when Bangladesh is working together with the United Nations entities and their executive boards for the implementation of the global development agenda under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as per the press release.

During the first meeting of the newly elected executive board, Ambassador Fatima thanked the board members for their support and confidence in Bangladesh's ability to contribute to the work of these vital UN agencies.She also assured the boards of the full support of her delegation to their initiatives taken for the combating ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the normalcy of the situation.

The three UN agencies have specific programs to go forward with the UN's development agenda at the field level. The UNDP is the largest UN organ that implements development programs for building a better life for the member states. So it mainly emphasizes poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The UNFPA works for reproductive and mental health, population and family planning issues and UNOPS is related to operate peace and security, humanitarian and development projects across the member states.

Ambassador Rabab Fatima's diplomatic career is experienced through working in various capacities in Bangladesh missions in New York, Tokyo, Geneva, Kolkata, and Beijing.

Relevantly, she was appointed as the president of the UNICEF Executive Board from this year. Now, she is working on it also.