United Nations Radio

Narrator:At a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this past weekend, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the United Nations will soon be sending an electoral team to Bangladesh for that country's December parliamentary polls:

SG 1:I have informed the Government authorities and the political parties that the UN will dispatch a small team of highly capable and prominent individuals, who will visit in the coming weeks to assess the conduct of the election and report to me.

Narrator:Currently a state of emergency exists in Bangladesh and at the Secretary-General's press conference, some expressed concern that this might interfere with the free and fair conduct of the elections. The Secretary-General acknowledged their concerns:

SG 2:It is in the world's -- and your -- best interest to see Bangladesh achieve its full potential for democratic development through free and credible elections. SEGUE For its part, the government must ensure that the fundamental rights and freedoms necessary for a free, fair and credible election are guaranteed. And it must ensure that the elections take place in a peaceful and secure environment.

Narrator:Meanwhile, the Secretary-General congratulated Bangladesh on the progress it has made in the past 30 years:

SG 3:During three decades, you have achieved and you have made a sea change in socioeconomics and democracy. And I commend you for that.

Narrator:He noted that the country had balanced economic growth with poverty reduction and has had success in family planning, getting girls into schools and reducing child mortality. Mr. Ban also visited the Grameen Bank, famous for it's innovative micro-loans to the poor:

SG 4:I had a chance to visit the Grameen Bank Projects, where I was extremely moved by the tremendous efforts by the people of Bangladesh to attain self-sustainability. Particularly, I had a very good exchange with women of Bangladesh working towards self-empowerment. What I have witnessed today will certainly set an example for the rest of the developing countries. This kind of determination will help Bangladesh become a middle-income country in ten years' time.

Narrator:Turning to Nepal, the Secretary-General urged Nepal's leaders to firge ahead with rehabilitating thousands of Maoist ex-fighters as part of the on-going peace process. We quote from his press conference in Kathmandu:

SG:The most immediate challenge ahead is to integrate and rehabilitate the Maoist combatants. In this regard, I welcome the recent establishment of the special committee to supervise, integrate and rehabilitate Maoist army combatants. I encourage the parties represented on the committee to ensure that it begins its important work as soon as possible. I also call on the Government to move quickly on the formal discharge of minors and disqualified combatants.

Narrator:UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has visited India, Nepal and Bangladesh on this, his latest official visit to the Asian region. In India at the end of October, he highlighted the longstanding relationship between that country and the United Nations in areas ranging from peace and security to sustainable development.

Producer: Gerry Adams

Duration: 4'07"