BNP, Jamaat, NCP leaders among Chief Adviser's UNGA entourage

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will leave Dhaka on 22 September for New York to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he is scheduled to deliver Bangladesh’s national statement and hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy today, confirming that Prof Yunus will address the General Assembly on 26 September.

In his speech, the Chief Adviser is expected to reflect on the government’s activities over the past year and reaffirm the interim administration’s commitment to restoring democracy through reforms and free and fair elections slated for February next year.

The Foreign Affairs Adviser also announced that four senior political leaders will join the Bangladesh delegation this year. They are BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP leader Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syeed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, and National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Akhter Hossen.

Prof Yunus will also participate in several bilateral meetings with global leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA, details of which are being finalised, Hossain added.

Senior officials including Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, and Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were present at the briefing.

The Chief Adviser will travel to New York on a commercial flight on 22 September and is scheduled to return to Dhaka on 2 October.

This year’s General Debate of the UNGA will be held from 23 to 27 and 29 September. Heads of state and government from across the globe are expected to outline their priorities and policy positions against the backdrop of complex and interconnected global challenges.