Photo: Collected
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will leave Dhaka for New York tomorrow. He will address the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 24 September.
At a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Sunday, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said the prime minister in his speech will highlight Bangladesh’s new democratic journey, rule of law and accountability, world peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, economic cooperation, empowerment of youth and women, education and health, the Rohingya crisis, equitable use of modern technology and reform of the multilateral system.
The prime minister will lead the Bangladesh delegation on this visit. He is scheduled to set off for home on the night of 25 September after the programmes in New York.
The foreign secretary said Bangladesh’s participation in this year’s session is particularly significant for several reasons. First, this is the present government’s first participation in the UN’s highest global forum. Through this, an opportunity will be created to present before the world the new government’s political commitment and the outline of the future Bangladesh.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will represent Bangladesh at the UN General Assembly for the first time. Bangladesh’s foreign minister will perform the duties of president at the same session. As a result, while this is a rare and historic moment for us on the one hand, it is also a matter of special honour and pride on the other.
The foreign secretary said that on the sidelines of the session the prime minister will hold important meetings with heads of state and government of various countries and top officials of international organisations, which will create new opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation.
The press conference was told that the prime minister’s official programmes will begin from 22 September after he reaches New York. That morning he will attend the welcome breakfast hosted by the UN secretary-general in honour of heads of state and government. He will then take part in the opening ceremony of the session with other world leaders. In the evening, he will attend the reception hosted by the US president in honour of heads of state and government and their spouses.
On 23 September, the prime minister will exchange views at a breakfast meeting with representatives of various international charitable and humanitarian organisations. He will then speak at a meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain. In the afternoon, he will attend the high-level meeting titled ‘Climate Action and the Just Transition’ organised at the initiative of the UN secretary-general.
On 24 September, at the invitation of the president of the session and Bangladesh’s foreign minister, the prime minister will deliver the opening remarks at the high-level meeting on addressing the existential threat arising from sea-level rise. There, he will present Bangladesh’s strong position, as a climate-vulnerable country, in favour of climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage and climate justice.
The prime minister is expected to deliver his speech in the general debate segment of the UN General Assembly in the afternoon of the same day.
Besides, the prime minister will take part in two important side events organised by Bangladesh. At the side event on the Rohingya crisis on 23 September, he will seek effective cooperation from the international community to send the Rohingyas back to Myanmar in the shortest possible time.
On 24 September, he will speak as chief guest at another side event on maternal and newborn health and midwifery. There, besides presenting the new government’s initiatives and future plans for protecting the health of mothers and children, he will lay emphasis on the need for skilled and trained midwifery services.
Alongside taking part in the conference, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with top leaders of several countries. Notable among these are meetings with the crown prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti. It is expected that political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation and various issues of mutual interest including the Rohingya crisis will be discussed in these meetings.
In addition, the prime minister is scheduled to meet the UN secretary-general, the president of the European Council, the president of the World Bank Group, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the president of the International Peace Institute.
As part of economic diplomacy, he will also hold meetings with top representatives of Wall Street and several other business organisations including Meta. In these discussions, emphasis will be laid on Bangladesh’s favourable investment climate, the potential of the manufacturing, infrastructure and technology sectors, skills and human resource development and the creation of quality employment for young people.
Expressing hope, the foreign secretary said that overall this visit will, besides presenting the new journey of Bangladesh’s new government on the world stage, create an important opportunity to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation. In his words, ‘Through this, we want to give the world the message of a democratic, confident, responsible, peace-loving and promising Bangladesh.’
