Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has left New York for Dhaka after completing a five-day visit marked by high-level engagements, including his maiden address to the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
An Emirates flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of his entourage left John F Kennedy International Airport at 11:30pm New York time for Dhaka via Dubai, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly told BSS.
The flight is scheduled to reach Dubai at 8:00pm on September 26 and leave for Dhaka at 2:00am on September 27. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:40am on September 27.
During his visit, Tarique Rahman presented Bangladesh’s positions on global peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, humanitarian issues, economic cooperation and the Rohingya crisis.
In his UNGA address on September 24, he reaffirmed Bangladesh’s support for UN efforts to promote global peace and called for conflicts to be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy and cooperation.
He also outlined the government’s 3-R strategy of Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction, while pledging to build a prosperous, self-reliant and welfare-oriented democratic Bangladesh by ensuring political and economic empowerment and equal opportunities for all.
On the Rohingya crisis, the Prime Minister said safe and dignified repatriation to Myanmar remained the only sustainable solution and called for stronger international support to create conditions for their voluntary return.
He separately discussed the Rohingya crisis with UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih.
Tarique Rahman held bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Maldives Vice-President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
The meetings covered bilateral relations, trade and investment, economic cooperation, skilled manpower, education, technology and regional and international issues.
At a meeting with World Bank President Ajay Banga, the Prime Minister discussed Bangladesh’s development priorities, economic progress and opportunities to strengthen cooperation with the World Bank.
On September 22, Tarique Rahman and his wife attended a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for world leaders and their spouses before joining the opening session of the UNGA General Debate. They later attended a reception hosted by the US president.
The following day, the Prime Minister met representatives of the Gates Foundation, Visa Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, International Rescue Committee and Rotary International to discuss humanitarian challenges, climate change, sustainable development, international cooperation and economic partnership.
He also met Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman and discussed public health, child healthcare, vaccination, affordable vaccines, preventive healthcare and health-system modernisation.
At a high-level meeting on climate action and the just transition, Tarique Rahman called for stronger global action to reduce emissions and ensure predictable climate finance for climate-vulnerable countries.
On September 24, he also addressed a high-level meeting on the threat posed by sea-level rise, calling for deeper emission cuts, accessible adaptation finance, climate-smart technologies and stronger international cooperation.
At a Bangladesh-Sweden-UNFPA event on midwifery, the Prime Minister outlined his vision of a “Healthy Bangladesh”, placing primary healthcare at the centre of health reforms.
He said the government plans to recruit 100,000 additional health workers, including 80,000 women, and 25,000 professional midwives, while developing an integrated digital health system.
The Prime Minister also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed appreciation for Bangladesh’s role in hosting Rohingyas and contributing troops to UN peacekeeping operations, as well as its contributions to climate resilience and multilateral affairs.
The visit also featured economic diplomacy, including the signing of an agreement between Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Boeing to purchase 11 aircraft as Bangladesh seeks to expand its aviation sector and open new international routes.
On the final day of the visit, Tarique Rahman attended a breakfast meeting with Wall Street representatives hosted by JPMorgan at its Manhattan headquarters and held a bilateral meeting with Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
He is scheduled to reach Dhaka on September 27 after completing the New York visit.
