DHAKA, Nov 16, 2023 (BSS) - Bangladesh was elected to the UNESCO Executive Board in a keenly contested election held during the 42nd General Conference of the organization in Paris on Wednesday.

This election brought Bangladesh back to the board for the term 2023-27 after two years, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) press release here today.

This is the third contested election Bangladesh won at UNESCO in the last one and a half years, the release said, adding, earlier, Bangladesh was elected at the Executive Council for Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in June this year and at the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritages in July 2022.

"Bangladesh's victory at UNESCO is the result of our deep engagement and diplomatic strides at the international fora under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," said Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, who led the Bangladesh delegation at the UNESCO General Conference.

She expressed gratitude to all UNESCO member states for supporting Bangladesh and thanked the Bangladesh Embassy in Paris for the hard work and focused diplomatic engagements with the organization.

"Our pledge is to work in partnership with all to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Dipu Moni said.

Earlier on Monday, Bangladesh hosted a diplomatic reception at UNESCO to garner support for its candidature while the campaign highlighted its activities on the five pillars of the SDGs.

Bangladesh Ambassador to UNESCO, Khondker M Talha, said that the victory is a cumulative outcome of Bangladesh's constructive engagement at UNESCO and the country's balanced, progressive and principle-based foreign policy.

UNESCO, the UN body mandated for education, culture and science, is the first-ever international organization Bangladesh acceded to in 1972.