Coordinates: 40°45′00″N 73°58′04″W / 40.75000°N 73.96778°W / 40.75000; -73.96778

1974 Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the United Nations

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1974 Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the United Nations
Part of 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 pm — 3:10pm (UTC–4)
DurationApproximately ten minutes
VenueUnited Nations General Assembly Hall
LocationUN headquarters, New York City, United States
Coordinates40°45′00″N 73°58′04″W / 40.75000°N 73.96778°W / 40.75000; -73.96778
TypeSpeech
ThemeBangladesh's full membership in the United Nations

The Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the United Nations (Bengali: জাতিসংঘে শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের ভাষণ) was a public speech given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the prime minister of Bangladesh on 25 September 1974 at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City to the member states representatives of the UN general assembly sessions. It is the first Bengali-language speech at the United Nations delivered during a period of depression and famine of the People’s' Republic of Bangladesh. The day is observed in the State of New York as Bangladeshi Immigration Day since 2019.

Background

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

Bangladesh became one of the member states of the United Nations on 17 September 1974, three years after the independence of Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decided that he would address the General Assembly at the United Nations in Bengali. Minister of State for Information Taheruddin Thakur wrote a draft of the speech and submitted it to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. However, he rejected the draft. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the then Foreign Secretary, and Faruq Ahmed Choudhury, the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh posted in the United Kingdom, wrote another draft and showed it to him. But as the problems of Bangladesh were not mentioned in that draft, he added the country's food problems to the draft through a copyist of the office.[3]

A team of 24 members, including prime minister Mujib, left Bangladesh's capital Dacca by air two days ago to attend the session in 25 September.[4] On the scheduled day, he attended the session of General Assembly in New York as the prime minister of the country. Before delivering the speech, he informed the assembly that he would deliver the speech in Bengali. Algerian president Houari Boumédiène asked him to speak in English, but Mujib refused his request and delivered the speech in Bengali.[1] At that time speeches were not given in any language other than Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, the official languages of the United Nations.[3][5]

Speech

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

The English translation of the Bengali speech was entrusted to Faruq Ahmed Choudhury who was present at the session.[4] As ruler, Mujib adopted the motto "friendship with all, enmity with none" as the foreign policy of the newly formed country.[6] It was used in the speech.[7] In his speech, he highlighted the importance of understanding the reality of peace, humanity, brotherhood and interdependence to solve the economic crisis around the world. Besides, he proposed to build a uniform economic system all over the world. In his speech, he said that his country will work to solve various issues. In his speech, he thanked those who helped for the freedom of Bangladesh.[8] The speech highlighted the situation of the country at that time when it was going through depression and famine.[9]

Receptions

The speech at the session is the first speech in the official language of Bangladesh at the United Nations. It drew praise, especially from representatives of third world member states. Austrian politician and the then Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim called the speech "candid and constructive". British Foreign Secretary James Callaghan described the speech as "powerful".[10] Journalist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury compared the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature of Bengali author Rabindranath Tagore to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's this speech. According to journalist and writter Santosh Gupta, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established the status of Bengali language internationally by delivering a speech in the language at the UN General Assembly.[1]

Indian writer Surjit Dasgupta said of the speech that the day of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Bengali speech at the United Nations was "the best and greatest day of his life". According to writer and journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan, through this speech, Mujib paved the way for the recognition of Bengali as the only language of the Indian subcontinent at the United Nations.[4] Writer and educationalist Syed Manzoorul Islam feels that through this speech, the Prime Minister has taken Bangladesh to a unique place and has indirectly given a message to the Middle Eastern countries that oppose its recognition as a country. According to him, Mujib inspired other libertarian regions through this speech and after this speech, some member states started using their languages ​​in the sessions which are not the United Nations' official languages.[11]

Legacy

Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the incumbent prime minister of Bangladesh, has been giving speeches in Bengali at United Nations General Assembly sessions inspired by her father.[12] Since 2019, this day has been observed as 'Bangladeshi Immigration Day' in New York.[13] Posts and Telecommunications Division released a special postage stamp to commemorate the speech in 2020.[14] An e-poster was released by the government to commemorate Mujib's UN speech.[15] A campaign was officially launched to commemorate the day on the occasion of Mujib Year.[13] The fourteenth paragraph of the resolution titled 'United Nations International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023' incorporates a quote from Sheikh Mujib's 1974 UN address, "Friendship with all, enmity with none", which states that "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".[7]

References

  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. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b "'সকলের সাথে বন্ধুত্ব, কারো সাথে বৈরিতা নয়' যুক্ত হল জাতিসংঘ রেজুলেশনে". Bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  8. ^ "বিশ্বব্যাপী অর্থনৈতিক সংকট নিরসনে চাই শান্তি মৈত্রী ও সমঝোতার পরিবেশ". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 26 September 1974. p. 1.
  9. ^ "জাতিসংঘে বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভাষণ". The Sangbad (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. p. 2.
  10. ^ "বঙ্গবন্ধুর ভাষণের ভূয়সী প্রশংসা". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 27 September 1974. pp. 1, 6.
  11. ^ Riyad, Syed (24 September 2020). "'জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দিয়ে বিশ্বকে তিনটি বার্তা দেন বঙ্গবন্ধু'". The Dhaka Times (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  12. ^ "বাবার পথ অনুসরণ করেই জাতিসংঘে বাংলায় ভাষণ দিই: শেখ হাসিনা". Somoy TV (in Bengali). 1 February 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "জাতিসংঘে বঙ্গবন্ধুর প্রথম বাংলায় ভাষণ প্রদান স্মরণে ই-পোস্টার". Jugantor (in Bengali). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.

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