PM to address UNGA on 24 Sept

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will leave Dhaka for New York tomorrow to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he is scheduled to deliver his first address to the General Assembly as prime minister on September 24.

The brief visit will include a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders and high-level engagements with senior officials of the United Nations and international organisations, according to diplomatic sources.

Tarique is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka on the night of September 25. His delegation has also been kept relatively small for the visit.

The high-level general debate of the 81st UNGA will begin on September 22 and continue until September 28.

The session formally opened on September 8 under the theme, ‘Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All’.

The prime minister’s visit comes at a significant moment for Bangladesh as Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is presiding over the 81st session of the General Assembly.

Khalilur was elected president of the General Assembly on June 2, becoming the second Bangladeshi to hold the position after Humayun Rashid Choudhury, who served as president of the 41st session in 1986-87.

Tarique is expected to hold more than a dozen bilateral and high-level meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly, diplomatic sources said.

His scheduled engagements are expected to include meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovi? and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

He is also expected to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, European Council President António Costa, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Boeing Global President Brendan Nelson.

Tarique is also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir recently said to the journalists that the prime minister’s address to the General Assembly would highlight Bangladesh’s new vision, democratic transition and aspirations.

“He will have a very busy schedule in New York,” Kobir said, adding that Tarique would meet several world leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

He said the prime minister’s main purpose was to address the General Assembly, while details of his sideline engagements would be announced in due course.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between Tarique and Trump, Kobir said such engagements were often finalised shortly before or during major international conferences.

The Rohingya crisis is expected to feature prominently during the prime minister’s visit, with Bangladesh planning a high-level side event on the issue.

“There will be a high-level discussion or meeting on the Rohingya crisis as part of the visit. It is a major priority for us,” Kobir said.

Asked whether the UN Refugee Convention would be discussed, the state minister said the government would focus on the broader Rohingya crisis.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also told the media that the General Assembly would provide Bangladesh with an opportunity to present its national interests, economic potential and development priorities to the international community.

“It marks a new journey, a new possibility and a new aspiration,” she said.

Shama said the government’s ‘Bangladesh First’ foreign policy would guide the prime minister’s engagements, with an emphasis on presenting Bangladesh as a democratic, confident and responsible country.

She said the Rohingya crisis would receive particular attention, with a dedicated session planned during the General Assembly involving the prime minister.

According to Shama, the crisis has become increasingly complex because of the involvement of Myanmar authorities, the Arakan Army, regional actors and competing international interests.

“In fact, the problem has deepened. A regional complication has been created. Without international pressure, resolving this problem will become very difficult,” she said.

She called for stronger international support for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis and urged Bangladeshis living abroad and civil society representatives to help mobilise international support.

“The Rohingya crisis is a big problem for Bangladesh. But it’s not Bangladesh’s problem. The problem was not created by Bangladesh,” she said.

The prime minister’s first UNGA address, alongside the planned bilateral meetings and Rohingya-focused diplomacy, is expected to provide Bangladesh with an important platform to outline its priorities during the country’s political transition and engage directly with key international partners.