Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to highlight Bangladesh’s renewed democratic journey and its positions on major global challenges in his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with the Rohingya crisis receiving particular attention.
The Prime Minister is expected to deliver his speech in Bangla at the 81st UNGA session on September 24, outlining the government’s vision for Bangladesh and its approach to key regional and global issues.
Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam disclosed the broad focus of the speech at a press conference on the Prime Minister’s upcoming UNGA visit.
He said Tarique Rahman would address Bangladesh’s democratic journey, 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 issue, equitable access to modern technology and reform of the multilateral system.
The Foreign Secretary said the address would be significant as it would be Tarique Rahman’s first appearance at the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister and the government’s first opportunity to present its political commitments and vision before the global forum.
The Prime Minister will also seek stronger international cooperation to resolve the prolonged Rohingya crisis. He is scheduled to attend a Bangladesh-hosted side event on September 23, where he will call for effective international support for the earliest possible repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
Siam said Bangladesh would once again draw global attention to the scale of the Rohingya crisis, its challenges and the international support required to address it.
Bangladesh maintains that the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingyas to Myanmar is the only lasting solution to the crisis.
Climate change will also receive significant attention during the Prime Minister’s UN engagements. On September 23, he will attend a high-level meeting on “Climate Action and the Just Transition”, followed by a meeting on the threats posed by sea-level rise on September 24.
At the climate-related meetings, Tarique Rahman is expected to highlight the concerns of climate-vulnerable countries, focusing on climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage and climate justice.
His UNGA address will also highlight Bangladesh’s priorities on global peace and security, sustainable development and economic cooperation, along with greater empowerment of youth and women and equitable access to modern technology.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to participate in a high-level meeting on global inequality and a Bangladesh-hosted side event on maternal and newborn health and midwifery.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.
The talks are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.
He is also scheduled to meet the UN Secretary-General, President of the European Council, President of the World Bank Group, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar and the UN high commissioners for refugees and human rights.
As part of the government’s economic diplomacy, the Prime Minister will also meet senior representatives of Meta, Wall Street and other business organisations.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York on September 21 and return home after completing his engagements on September 25.
