Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Bangladesh is carrying out sweeping reforms to ensure the return of autocracy becomes impossible and democracy remains permanent.

Out of every hundred people on this planet nearly three live in Bangladesh. But our story is not important because of numbers, it matters because it reminds the world of the extraordinary power of ordinary people,” Yunus said in his address at the 80th UNGA session in New York on Friday.

He recalled that Bangladesh’s youth spearheaded the July Uprising last year, defeating tyranny and opening the way for a just and equal society.

We could have chosen the easy path: reforms imposed by executive order. But we chose the hard path: reforms built through inclusion and sustained through consensus,” he said.

Yunus said the government has established eleven independent commissions on governance, the judiciary, elections, public administration, law enforcement, anti-corruption, women’s rights and other key sectors. The commissions consulted citizens, studied deeply, and produced detailed proposals for reform.

To anchor those reforms in permanence, a National Consensus Commission was formed, bringing together more than thirty political parties and coalitions.

On the first anniversary of the July Uprising, we stood together on one stage and announced the July Declaration, a time-bound commitment to reform. No matter who wins the next election, the reform process will not stop, will not reverse, and will not be undone,” Yunus said.

Bangladesh will hold its next national elections in February 2026. Yunus assured the Assembly that the government remains “steadfast in carrying forward reforms that place citizens at the center,” with a focus on transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.

He stressed that Bangladesh’s transformation from a repressive authoritarian system into a democratic order is guided by the clear aspiration of its people: to build a democratic, inclusive, and pluralistic society.