After winning the 2008 election, her government executed the verdict of the killers of Bangabandhu, started the trial of war criminals, and resolved maritime disputes with neighbouring India and Myanmar through the International Court of Justice, she said. “We are proud to be the country that sent the most peacekeepers to the United Nations. We also adopted a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and violent extremism. We are working closely with the concerned agencies or organisations to maintain a regional and international peaceful environment,” she said.

PM Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh always has unwavering support for the just demands of the Palestinian people. Despite limited resources, Bangladesh has provided temporary shelter to more than 1.1 million Rohingya from Myanmar. Mentioning that Bangladesh is now a role model in the world in socio-economic development, she said her government has established the economy of the country on a solid foundation. The size of our economy is now $411 billion and per capita income is $2,554, she added.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who was chair of the conference’s organising committee, presided over the concluding session, while former Prime Minister of Singapore Goh Chok Tong, UNESCO’s former Director General Irina Bokova, Director for South and Central Asia at Hudson Institute Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam also spoke on the occasion.