Press Release
Dhaka, September 25, 2025: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep disappointment over the continuation of an embarrassing record, as the interim government, following the practices of the fallen authoritarian regime, has placed Bangladesh among the few countries that sent an unusually large delegation to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). With over a hundred representatives attending the ongoing session, what message was the interim government attempting to convey? And in return, to what extent can the country and its citizens, including taxpayers, expect tangible benefits? The organization emphasized that ordinary citizens deserve to know the answers to these questions.
In a statement issued today, TIB’s Executive Director Dr. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the interim government has followed a similar path. Regrettably, despite issuing clear directives to prevent wasteful foreign trips funded by taxpayers, the government has raised questions about its credibility by sending over a hundred representatives to the 80th UNGA session—an inherently contradictory action.”
Generally, powerful countries such as the United States, Russia, and China send comparatively large delegations to secure their multilateral diplomatic influence, and even then, delegations exceeding a hundred are rare. By contrast, 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, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman noted. “Last year, the interim government set a hopeful precedent by sending only 57 representatives to the UNGA, thereby avoiding the waste of public funds. We had expected this number to decrease further this year. Yet, the embarrassing practice of authoritarian regimes has been repeated. Considering the cost of sending a large delegation with taxpayers’ money and the questionable image it projects internationally, what criteria determined the composition of the delegation? To what extent were meaningful participation in the agenda items and the consideration of national interest weighed in assigning roles to the distinguished members of the delegation? Will the public receive answers to these questions? The government, entrusted with state reform, should provide a clear explanation on this matter.”
TIB finds such questionable precedents deeply embarrassing and disappointing for an interim government formed in aftermath of the public uprising.
Media Contact:
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam
Director, Outreach and Communication
Phone: +8801713107868
Email: tauhidul@ti-bangladesh.org
