DU Correspondent :
Interim Government Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus is set to travel to New York on Monday to participate in the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he will address the world on the recent political developments in Bangladesh.
A delegation of 57 individuals, including security personnel and media members, will accompany the Chief Adviser.
During a briefing titled “Curtain Raiser on Bangladesh’s Participation in the 79th UN General Assembly” at the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain provided details of the trip.
Touhid Hossain explained that the current government has implemented cost-cutting measures, ensuring that only essential personnel will be part of the delegation.
“I can assure you that only those who are absolutely necessary will go,” he stated. While expenses have been minimised, he stressed that security would remain a top priority.
He also contrasted the size of this delegation with those of previous governments, particularly under the administration of Sheikh Hasina.
He noted that during her tenure, delegations were significantly larger, with 344 and 335 members sent to the 73rd and 74th sessions, respectively.
In more recent years, under COVID-19 cost-cutting measures, the number of participants dropped to 146 in the 78th session and 138 in the 77th session.
The high-level debate at this year’s General Assembly will begin on 24th September, with the Chief Adviser scheduled to arrive in New York on 23rd September via a commercial flight.
He will stay in New York for three days, returning to Bangladesh on 27th September.
“Unlike recent years, this time a delegation of over a hundred members will not travel from Bangladesh on a chartered flight.
Instead, the delegation has been made as small as possible, based on the responsibilities of its members,” added Touhid Hossain.
During his address at the General Assembly, Dr Yunus is expected to highlight the unprecedented mass uprising that has taken place in Bangladesh over
the last two months, as well as the government’s commitment to creating a people-centric, welfare-oriented governance system.
He will also speak on Bangladesh’s role in peacekeeping operations, climate change, global conflicts, the Rohingya crisis, challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and migration.
