'Friendship to all, malice to none': Bangabandhu’s historic quote incorporated into UN resolution

“Friendship to all, malice towards none,” the historic quote from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, one of the most prominent advocates of humanity and world peace, has been incorporated into a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly.

The quote was included in the 14th paragraph of the resolution entitled ‘International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023', the permanent mission of Bangladesh to the UN said in a statement on Tuesday.

In the global context of the post-COVID world order and the Russia-Ukraine war, the resolution was introduced by Turkmenistan at the UNGA plenary. It was adopted unanimously.

The quote reads: “Recognising the importance of combating poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, and unemployment, and emphasising that friendship to all and malice towards none, in the spirit of constructive cooperation, dialogue, and mutual understanding, will help to achieve these objectives.”

The text was developed on the basis of Bangabandhu's maiden speech at the UNGA on Sept 25, 1974, where Bangladesh's founding father emphasised the need for establishing world peace.

The resolution was co-sponsored by 70 countries, including Bangladesh and other South Asian nations.