Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in New York on Tuesday to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with Bangladeshi expatriates and BNP leaders and activists staging programmes to welcome him.
“A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of his entourage landed at John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport at 6.20pm (New York time) after a stopover in Istanbul,” Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony told the media.
The prime minister was received at the airport by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Irene Zubaida Khan and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam.
He was then escorted by motorcade to the Hyatt Grand Central New York, where he will stay during his visit.
BNP leaders and activists and members of the Bangladeshi expatriate community gathered outside the airport and along roads leading to the hotel, carrying banners, posters and festoons and chanting slogans. Jackson Heights, a major hub of the Bangladeshi community, was also decorated with banners, posters and festoons.
The prime minister is scheduled to address the UNGA on September 24.
His engagements begin on September 22 with a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of state and government and their spouses at the UN Headquarters. He will then attend the opening session of the 81st UNGA and hold bilateral and courtesy meetings, including with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.
He will also meet UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop, European Council President António Costa, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Meta Platforms’ Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan.
In the evening, he and his wife will attend a reception hosted by the US President for heads of state and government and their spouses.
On September 23, the prime minister will attend a breakfast meeting with representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN. He will also join a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis titled “The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability”, and participate in a high-level meeting on “Climate Action and the Just Transition”.
He is scheduled to meet Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Boeing Global President Dr Brendan Nelson is also scheduled to call on him at his hotel, where a signing ceremony involving Bangladesh government representatives will be held.
On September 24, the prime minister will attend a high-level meeting on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise and deliver opening remarks. He will also meet Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and attend a high-level event titled “From Commitment to Action: Integrating Midwifery into Primary Health Care to End Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths”, where he will deliver opening remarks.
He will meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul before attending the general debate of the 81st UNGA.
He is scheduled to deliver his address at around 5:30pm (New York time), although the timing may change. His allotted speaking time is 15 minutes.
After the address, he will attend a dinner hosted in his honour by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission.
On September 25, the prime minister will attend a breakfast meeting with Wall Street representatives hosted by JPMorgan at its Manhattan headquarters. He will then meet Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and have lunch with Prince Zeid Al Hussein, President of the International Peace Institute.
He will also meet BNP leaders in the United States before leaving New York for Dhaka at 11:00pm (New York time) by Emirates flight EK202 via Dubai.
He is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on September 27.
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