Bangladesh has, for the first time, been elected as president of the UNESCO General Conference, marking a historic milestone 53 years into its membership. The statement says initially four countries -- Bangladesh, Japan, India, South Korea -- were in the race. Ambassador Talha currently serves as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to UNESCO and as ambassador to France, Monaco and Côte d’Ivoire. He is set to succeed Romania’s Ambassador Simona Mirela Mikulescu as president at the 43rd General Conference, to be held later this month in Uzbekistan’s Samarkhand. Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, Education Advisor CR Abrar and Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostafa Sarwar Farooki thanked UNESCO’s Executive Board for selecting Bangladesh for this prestigious role.
