Prime Minister leaves for New York on brief visit with smallest delegation
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman left Dhaka for New York in the United States on Monday to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. He departed Dhaka at 5:50 am on a scheduled Turkish Airlines flight. A 35 member Bangladesh delegation including four ministers is accompanying Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on the visit. This is the first participation of the current government in the UN General Assembly.
The four ministers in the delegation are Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Law Minister Asaduzzaman and Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashiduzzaman Millat. Among them, Dr. Khalilur Rahman has formally taken charge as president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. He is currently in New York and will join the delegation there.
Meanwhile, at a briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday on the prime minister’s UN visit, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will deliver his speech in Bangla during the general debate of the General Assembly on the afternoon of September 24.
On the sidelines of the session, the prime minister will hold meetings with heads of state and government from various countries and senior officials of international organizations. Strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation will receive importance in these meetings. Restoring mutual trust, increasing international cooperation and making the multilateral system more effective will also be emphasized.
The foreign secretary also said the prime minister’s official programs will begin on September 22 after his arrival in New York. In the morning, he will attend a welcome breakfast hosted by the UN secretary general for heads of state and government. He will then join other world leaders at the opening ceremony of the General Assembly. In the evening, he will attend a reception hosted by the US president for heads of state and government and their spouses.
The following day, September 23, the prime minister will exchange views with representatives of various international charitable and humanitarian organizations at a breakfast meeting. He will then deliver a speech at a meeting on addressing the global inequality crisis hosted by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain. In the afternoon, he will attend a high-level meeting titled “Climate Action and the Just Transition” organized at the initiative of the UN secretary general.
He also said the prime minister will deliver his speech in Bangla during the general debate of the General Assembly on September 24. His speech may focus on Bangladesh’s democratic progress, the rule of law and accountability, global peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, economic cooperation, women and youth empowerment, education and health, the Rohingya crisis and reform of the multilateral system.
The foreign secretary said ensuring the security of everyone attending the UN General Assembly is the responsibility of the US administration. However, continuous communication is being maintained with the US administration to ensure the prime minister’s security and necessary measures have been taken.
The prime minister is scheduled to leave New York for Bangladesh on the night of September 25 after completing his programs.
Smallest delegation:This time, the prime minister is traveling with a delegation of only 35 members. Two political leaders from other parties are among them. One is Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party, and the other is Dr. Golam Mohiuddin, secretary general of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
Officials concerned said the number is very low compared with previous occasions. For example, the delegations led by Professor Muhammad Yunus to two sessions had 57 and 62 members.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina traveled to New York in 2015 with a 227-member delegation to attend the 70th General Assembly and a special UN summit on sustainable development.
The number was 178 at the 69th General Assembly in 2014 and 134 in 2013.
In normal times, the numbers were 344 and 335 at the 73rd and 74th sessions respectively. The 75th session was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite COVID 19 restrictions, 108 people attended the 76th session and 138 attended the 77th session. Even when cost cutting was being discussed after the COVID 19 pandemic, 146 people attended the 78th session.
