Bangladesh protests: UN chief calls for dialogue, urges restraint on all sides

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the developments in Bangladesh very closely and is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, his spokesperson has said, urging authorities in Dhaka to work with its young population and find solutions to the ongoing challenges.

Violent protests erupted in Bangladesh over quotas in the allocation of government jobs.

“Turning to the situation in Bangladesh, I can tell you that we are, of course, following the developments in the capital, Dhaka, and other places in Bangladesh very closely, and we continue to call for restraint from all sides,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Thursday, 18 July.

The UN chief urged the Bangladesh Government to ensure a conducive environment for dialogue and encouraged protesters to engage in dialogue to resolve the deadlock.

“Violence is never a solution,” Dujarric said, adding that the Secretary-General encourages meaningful and constructive participation of youth in building a better world.

Guterres called upon Bangladesh authorities to work with its young population, find solutions to the ongoing challenges and catalyse their energy towards the country’s growth and development.

Dujarric, responding to a question on the situation, said that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, and that includes the reported dozens of deaths, and the hundreds of injured, including journalists.

Guterres urged the authorities in Bangladesh to investigate all acts of violence, hold perpetrators to account, and ensure a conducive environment for dialogue, he added.

“It is important that we see restraint on all sides. The Secretary-General further encourages meaningful and constructive participation of youth to address the ongoing challenges in Bangladesh. Violence is not going to lead anywhere,” Dujarric said.

He underlined that the Secretary-General has been very clear, in Bangladesh and every other place in the world, of the need for the authorities to allow journalists to do their work in safety.

University students in Dhaka and other cities have been holding rallies for days against the system of reserving some public sector jobs for the relatives of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 others injured in the violence following protests, according to media reports on Thursday, 18 July.