Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative-designate to the United Nations Dr Irene Zubaida Khan paid a courtesy call on Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Thursday.

The meeting was held on Thursday afternoon at the minister’s office at the Secretariat, said a press release.

During the meeting, they emphasised the importance of projecting Bangladesh’s positive image abroad and appropriately presenting the country’s position and achievements in the international arena.

They also discussed the importance of highlighting Bangladesh’s achievements and various programmes of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the international media on the occasion of his participation in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.

Various aspects of media management for the prime minister’s visit, projecting Bangladesh’s positions and priorities in the international media, and presenting Bangladesh’s positive image to the global community were also discussed.

Irene Khan sought the cooperation of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in projecting Bangladesh’s positive image abroad.

The information minister assured her of the ministry’s necessary cooperation in this regard.

During the meeting, both sides identified the spread of misinformation and disinformation through social media and digital platforms as a major challenge.

They also held detailed discussions on measures to adopt effective communication strategies to counter such propaganda, ensure the rapid flow of accurate information, and strengthen Bangladesh’s position on digital platforms.

The information minister briefed her on the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in this regard.

He stressed the importance of coordinated efforts by the government, the media, and all relevant stakeholders to effectively counter misinformation and disinformation.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were present at the meeting.