Hasina seeks end to arms races, concerted action for universal peace

DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday stressed the need for building a peaceful world by abandoning arms races and urged the global community to use their resources in ensuring universal sustainable development.

"At this critical juncture in the world, I urge people to use their resources to achieve universal sustainable development without spending resources on the arms races. Let's take action and commit to universal peace," she said in her address at the closing ceremony of the two-day "World Peace Conference-2021" being held in Dhaka, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence.

A 16-point Dhaka Declaration was adopted at the conference. Noting the coronavirus pandemic has plunged the entire world into a new crisis, she said: "This crisis has proven that not one of us is isolated. There's no alternative to building an accountable world order based on partnership to live peacefully in this world."

Quoting from the speech Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered while receiving the award in Dhaka on May 23, 1973 Sheikh Hasina said: "Let me mention here that world peace has been one of the fundamental principles of my philosophy of life. I've always been with the oppressed, the exploited and the peace-loving and freedom-loving people in any part of the world. We want peace to reign in every part of the globe. We want it to consolidate."

Bangabandhu had also called for upholding a policy of non-alignment and the establishment of friendly relations through ending warfare and arms races to maintain world peace, she noted.

Sheikh Hasina said the Father of the Nation, in his book "Amar Dekha Naya Chin", explained his participation in the Asia-Pacific Peace Conference held in Beijing in 1952 by saying: "We are willing to join the peace conference of those who want peace in the world today. We agree to raise thousands of voices with all those fighting for peace, be it Russia, America, Britain, or China - we want peace."

She mentioned that Bangabandhu was nominated for the Julio Curie Medal in a declaration in Helsinki on October 10, 1972, for his outstanding contribution to world peace by establishing the rights of the oppressed people in the country.

Dhaka hosted the two-day international conference on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation and the Golden Jubilee of the country's Independence to promote a culture of peace and tolerance. (IANS)

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