TIB slams interim govt for sending 'unusually large delegation' to UNGA
Countries like the United States, Russia, and China sometimes send bigger delegations due to their extensive global influence, but even then, numbers exceeding a hundred remain rare, Iftekharuzzaman said.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep disappointment over the interim government's decision to send an "unusually large delegation" to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling it a continuation of an "embarrassing" practice from past "authoritarian" regimes.
In a statement issued today (25 September), TIB questioned what message the government was trying to convey by doing so, and what tangible benefits taxpayers could expect in return.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, "During the fallen authoritarian regime, sending large delegations to the UNGA and other international forums was a common practice, sometimes exceeding two hundred representatives," he said.
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"It was hoped that a government formed through unprecedented student and people's movements with a strong commitment to transparent, accountable governance and state reform would avoid repeating this practice."
He noted that despite directives to curb wasteful foreign trips funded by taxpayers, the interim government had undermined its credibility by sending such a large team.
Countries like the United States, Russia, and China sometimes send bigger delegations due to their extensive global influence, but even then, numbers exceeding a hundred remain rare, Iftekharuzzaman said.
In contrast, he added, the tendency of some countries lacking good governance, such as Nigeria, to send large delegations can rarely be justified by anything other than "Junket" in the name of diplomacy, Iftekharuzzaman noted.
Last year, the interim government had set what TIB described as a hopeful precedent by limiting its UNGA delegation to 57 members, avoiding unnecessary public expenditure. The organisation said it expected that number to decline further this year, but instead, the "embarrassing practice of authoritarian regimes" had been repeated.
TIB also questioned what criteria were used to select the delegation, how national interests were prioritised in assigning roles, and whether the public would ever receive clear answers on the matter.
"The government, entrusted with state reform, should provide a transparent explanation," the statement said, adding that the move is "deeply embarrassing and disappointing" for a government born out of a public uprising.
