PM to Highlight Bangladesh’s New Democratic Journey and Rohingya Crisis at UN

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will highlight Bangladesh’s new democratic journey and major global challenges in his first address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The prolonged Rohingya crisis will receive particular attention.

The Prime Minister will deliver his address in Bangla at the UN General Assembly on September 24. He will present the government’s vision and plans for the country’s future and outline its position on various important regional and global issues.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam outlined the key issues of the speech at a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit. He said Tarique Rahman will speak about Bangladesh’s new democratic journey, the rule of law, accountability, global peace and security, climate change and sustainable development.

He will also highlight economic cooperation, youth and women’s empowerment, education, health, the Rohingya crisis, equal access to modern technology and reforms to the multilateral system. The Foreign Secretary said the speech is highly significant as this will be PM Tarique Rahman’s first participation in the UN General Assembly as Prime Minister. It will also be the first opportunity for the current government to present its political commitments and future course of action on the international stage.

Alongside his General Assembly address, the Prime Minister will seek to draw renewed international attention to the long-running Rohingya crisis. He will seek stronger global cooperation to resolve the crisis.

As part of this effort, he will attend a side event on the Rohingya issue organised by Bangladesh on September 23. There, he will seek effective international support for the earliest possible repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.

In response to a question, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam described the Rohingya crisis as an “ongoing problem”. He said Bangladesh would once again highlight the seriousness of the crisis and its various challenges at the gathering of world leaders.

Mr. Siam said, “We will once again present to the world the scale of the Rohingya crisis, the challenges it has created, and what kind of international help and cooperation Bangladesh needs.”

Bangladesh has consistently maintained that the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingyas to Myanmar is the only lasting solution to the crisis. Climate change will also receive high priority during the Prime Minister’s visit. Bangladesh wants to see more effective action globally on this issue.

On September 23, the Prime Minister will attend a high-level meeting titled “Climate Action and the Just Transition”, organised at the initiative of the UN Secretary-General. The following day, he will deliver the opening remarks at another high-level meeting on existential risks caused by rising sea levels.

At these climate-related meetings, the Prime Minister will highlight the concerns of countries vulnerable to climate change. He will particularly stress climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage, and climate justice. In his General Assembly address, the Prime Minister will outline Bangladesh’s priorities on global peace and security, sustainable development and economic cooperation.

He will also call for greater opportunities for youth and women and equal access to modern technology. Tarique Rahman will also emphasise reform of the multilateral system to ensure effective and inclusive solutions to existing global challenges.

On September 24, the Prime Minister will deliver the keynote address at another side event on maternal and newborn health and midwifery. He will highlight initiatives and future plans of the new government to protect maternal and child health and stress the need for skilled and trained midwifery services in healthcare.

Asad Alam Siam said the main UN programmes would receive the highest priority during the Prime Minister’s visit. Schedules for bilateral and other meetings are being finalised according to the circumstances.

He further said PM Tarique Rahman will hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.

The meetings may cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet the UN Secretary-General, the President of the European Council, the President of the World Bank Group, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the International Peace Institute.

As part of the government’s economic diplomacy, he will also meet senior representatives of several business organisations, including Meta and Wall Street-based firms. The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for New York on September 21. He is expected to return home on September 25 after completing all scheduled programmes.