Dhaka: Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus left here for New York in the early hours today to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). A commercial flight of Emirates airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at about 1:40 am, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, five political leaders including BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP acting chairman’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syeed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, National Citizen Party (NCP) member-secretary Akhter Hossen, and NCP’s first senior joint member secretary Dr Tasnim Jara are accompanying the Chief Adviser as part of the official delegation. Jamaat leader Mohammad Nakibur Rahman will join the delegation from the United States.
Prof Yunus is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 26. In his speech, the Chief Adviser is exp
ected to highlight the interim government’s reform initiatives, the aspirations of the July 2024 mass uprising, and its commitment to holding free, fair, and inclusive elections in February 2026.
Officials note that this year’s UNGA is particularly significant for Bangladesh as the UN will host a High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar for the first time on September 30. This decision follows a proposal made by Professor Yunus last year, which received unanimous support from member states. Bangladesh organized the first-ever “Stakeholders’ Dialogue” in Cox’s Bazar last month with international partners and Rohingya representatives ahead of the conference.
The Chief Adviser will also participate in the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth on September 25. Bangladesh will engage in discussions on Women, Peace and Security, underscoring its contribution as one of the top peacekeeping nations.
Profes
sor Yunus is further expected to address pressing global issues such as peacekeeping, climate change and climate justice, the Sustainable Development Goals, illicit financial flows, safe migration and migrant rights, sustainable technology transfer in the age of artificial intelligence, and calls for ceasefire and permanent peace in Palestine.
During the visit, the Chief Adviser will attend the UN Secretary-General’s welcome reception, a reception hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, and hold multiple bilateral meetings with global leaders. Additionally, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain will represent Bangladesh in a series of multilateral meetings, including the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting, the Peacebuilding Commission Ministerial, the G77 and China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network, the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting, BIMSTEC, CICA, and the LDC Ministerial.
The Chief Adviser is scheduled to return home on October 2. The General D
ebate of the UNGA will take place from September 23-27 and on September 29, with world leaders setting out their positions on global challenges under the theme “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.”