Geneva, June 16, 2026
Bangladesh has achieved another diplomatic milestone by assuming the chairmanship of the Bureau of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the first time since the body’s establishment in 1959.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, formally assumed the role of Chair of the four-member ExCom Bureau, which guides the committee’s work on global refugee and displacement issues.
The development marks a significant recognition of Bangladesh’s growing influence in multilateral diplomacy and its longstanding humanitarian role, particularly in hosting approximately 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar.
Ambassador Sobhan emerged as the unanimous candidate of the Asia-Pacific Group and was seconded by Algeria and Austria, representing different regional groups. Her nomination was subsequently endorsed by all 110 ExCom member states, reflecting broad international confidence in Bangladesh’s leadership.
A career diplomat, Ambassador Sobhan has previously served in Bangladesh’s missions in Rome, Kolkata and Geneva, and as Ambassador to Jordan and High Commissioner to Canada. She also served as Director General of the UN Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Member Secretary of the National Task Force on Rohingya issues.
Officials said Bangladesh’s assumption of the chairmanship comes at a critical time as the world faces record levels of displacement, growing humanitarian needs and funding shortages.
The appointment is widely seen as recognition of Bangladesh’s constructive leadership on refugee protection and its consistent advocacy for the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar, while calling for greater international burden-sharing and solidarity.
