PM on way to NY to attend 81st UNGA

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

The prime minister departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:05am on a Turkish Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and a 35-member delegation.

Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly confirmed that Tarique Rahman, his wife and other members of the entourage left Dhaka for New York via Istanbul.

The delegation includes four ministers, political representatives, senior government officials and the prime minister’s personal officials, according to Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.

Among those accompanying the prime minister are Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat and the State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Political representatives in the delegation include Revolutionary Workers Party President Saiful Haque and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh Secretary General Mufti Golam Mohiuddin Ikram.

Foreign Minister and President of the 81st UN General Assembly Dr Khalilur Rahman will join the prime minister in New York, while Bangladesh’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN will also be part of the delegation there.

The prime minister was seen off at the airport by Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar and other senior officials.

The Turkish Airlines flight is scheduled to reach Istanbul at 11:35am local time after a journey of around eight hours and 45 minutes.

Following a two-hour-and-35-minute transit, the flight is scheduled to leave Istanbul at 2:10pm and arrive at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York at 5:55pm local time.

Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN Irene Khan and Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam are expected to receive the prime minister at the airport.

From there, Tarique Rahman will travel by motorcade to the Hyatt Grand Central New York, where he will stay during the visit.

The prime minister’s address to the General Assembly on 24 September will be a key part of the visit.

His speech is expected to highlight Bangladesh’s democratic transition, the rule of law and accountability, global peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, economic cooperation, youth and women’s empowerment, education and health, the Rohingya crisis and reform of the multilateral system.

The visit marks Tarique Rahman’s first participation in the UN General Assembly as prime minister and his first address to the world body in that capacity.

According to Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, the prime minister’s official programme will begin on 22 September with a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of state and government.

He will subsequently attend the opening session of the General Assembly and a reception hosted by the US president for heads of state and government and their spouses.

On 23 September, Tarique Rahman will meet representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations at a breakfast meeting. He will also speak at a meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis jointly organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain.

The prime minister is scheduled to attend a high-level meeting on climate action and a just transition convened by the UN secretary-general.

At the climate-related meetings, Bangladesh is expected to highlight its position as a climate-vulnerable country, with emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage and climate justice.

He will also attend a side event on the Rohingya crisis and seek effective international cooperation for the earliest possible repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.

On 24 September, alongside his UNGA speech, the prime minister will deliver the opening remarks at a high-level meeting on the existential threat posed by rising sea levels.

He will also attend two important Bangladesh-hosted side events. He is also expected to stress the importance of skilled and professionally trained midwifery services.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.

The meetings are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.

Tarique Rahman is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the president of the European Council, the president of the World Bank Group, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar and the UN high commissioners for refugees and human rights. He is also expected to meet the president of the International Peace Institute.

The prime minister is scheduled to meet senior representatives of Meta, Wall Street and several business organisations as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen international economic engagement and attract investment.

The meetings are expected to cover trade and investment, technology, employment, development cooperation and other areas of economic interest.

Tarique Rahman is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka at 11:00pm local time on 25 September on an Emirates Airlines flight.