PM arrives in New York to attend 81st UNGA session

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived here today to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with Bangladeshi expatriates and BNP leaders and activists in New York staging various 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 BSS.

The Prime Minister was received at the airport by Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York Irene Zubaida Khan and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam.

A motorcade then escorted him 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 the roads leading to the hotel, carrying banners, posters and festoons and chanting slogans to welcome the Prime Minister.

As the Prime Minister's motorcade passed through the streets, they waved at him, while the Prime Minister reciprocated by waving back at the enthusiastic crowd.

Jackson Heights, a major hub of the Bangladeshi community in New York, was decorated with banners, posters and festoons as the Prime Minister arrived in the city.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver his address to the UNGA on 24 September.

According to the programme schedule, the Prime Minister's engagements will begin on 22 September 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 a series of 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.

The Prime Minister 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 23 September, 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 later 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".

He will also participate in the high-level meeting on "Climate Action and the Just Transition" at the UN Headquarters and is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Boeing Global President Dr Brendan Nelson is also scheduled to call on the Prime Minister at his hotel, where a signing ceremony involving Bangladesh government representatives is also scheduled.

On 24 September, the Prime Minister will attend a high-level meeting on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise and deliver the opening remarks.

He will also hold a bilateral meeting with 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 the opening remarks.

The Prime Minister 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.

Following his UNGA address, the Prime Minister will attend a dinner hosted in his honour by Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission.

On 25 September, the Prime Minister will attend a breakfast meeting with Wall Street representatives hosted by JPMorgan at its headquarters in Manhattan.

He will then hold a bilateral meeting with Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and is scheduled to have a lunch meeting with Prince Zeid Al Hussein, President of the International Peace Institute.

The Prime Minister 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 27 September.