By Saleem Samad : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived at New York City (NYC) on Sunday to attend the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). She was welcomed by Ambassador of Bangladesh in USA Muhammad Ziauddin, Bangladesh Mission Chief in United Nations (UN) in New York Masud Bin Momen, senior officials of United Nations (UN) and of course by hundreds of Bangladesh nationals cheering her arrival from Montreal, Canada. The overseas Awami Leagues leaders in United States of America (USA) also welcomed her with bouquets and banners, but had to stay at a distance because of security and construction of the city's airport.
Prime Minister arriv
ed at La Guardia Airport in New York by regular Air Canada flight at 3pm (New York time) after winding up her four-day official visit to Canada to attend a two-day 5th Global Fund Replenishment Conference held in Montreal on 16-17 September. Her ceremonial motorcade sped through the not too busy streets of NYC during weekend and arrived at Hotel Waldorf Astoria where she will stay during her visit here till the 25th and make a private visit to Washington DC, the capital of USA. Hasina will attend the UN session and also meet several heads of state and government from 18-22 September in New York City (NYC).
The UN session which began from 13 September is being held amidst several challenges and crises arising ranging from conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Syria, Iraq and Libya on growing threats of Islamic militancy to establish Islamic State and floods of refugees from conflict zones to Europe. On 20 September she will attend Leaders Summit of Refugees on the invitation of USA President Barack Obama. She will highlight 10 million war refugees given shelter my India who fled occupied Bangladesh by marauding Pakistan military during the bloody war of independence in 1971.
She will highlight the safety and security of the refugees caused from conflicts, said the chief of Bangladesh Mission in UN at a press conference by Masud Bin Momen last Wednesday. Washington DC based Bangladesh Press Minister Shamim Ahmed was also present at the press meet in New York. Meantime world's powerful countries have physically involved in the conflicts, which includes, Russia, United States, other NATO countries and their allies to content the crisis. However, the UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft underscores importance of fostering ‘Culture of Peace' in challenging world environment.
Lykketoft, a Danish national has been elected to serve as the President of its UNs seventieth session. Earlier he was the Speaker of the Danish Parliament since 2011. He added that improving the UN's capacity to conduct peace operations and to sustain peace is as important to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted last year, as it is to mitigating crises around the world. Sheikh Hasina will deliver a country statement at a high-level Plenary Meeting of United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants at the UN headquarters today (Monday) [NYC time is 12 hours behind Bangladesh time-zone]. Bangladesh is currently is elected president of the Global Migration Forum and the ninth meeting will be held in December in Dhaka.
In the light of the Bangladesh experience on refugees and migration, Prime Minister will put forward several recommendations at the UNGA. She is expected to seek support of the world leaders to identify the causes of the refugee and migration crisis. She will co-chair the Roundtable 5 Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration: Towards Realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Achieving Full Respect for the Human Rights of Migrants. On September 20, the Prime Minister will attend the opening session of the General Debate of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly. She will also join the Asian Leaders' Forum on Countering Terrorism to be hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Hotel Marriot Eastside.
Hasina is scheduled to attend a side-event on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Scaling up Innovation in Public Service Delivery to be organized by Bangladesh, UN Office for South-South Cooperation. She will attend the Leaders' Summit on Refugees to be organized by US President Barak Obama. She is expected to attend a reception to be hosted by Obama. The prime minister will deliver the statement at the General Debate of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly Hall in the afternoon the same day. A luncheon reception to be hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters will also be attended by Bangladeshi premier. She will attend a reception to be organized by the Bangladesh community at Hotel Grand Hyatt, New York on September 21 at 7:30 pm.
She will also address a press briefing at Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in New York on the following day. Hasina will hold bilateral meetings with a number of heads of state and government including State Counselor and Foreign Minister of Myanmar Aung Saan Suu Kyi, Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann as well as Commonwealth Secretary General and the Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum and the World Bank president. She is also expected meet in the sidelines are Presidents/Prime Ministers of Australia, Hungary, The Netherlands, Mauritius, Mexico, Jordan, South Africa, Senegal and Tajikstan during her stay in New York. The Prime Minister will fly to Washington DC on a strictly private visit to meet her son Sajib Wazed Joy, ICT Adviser to the Prime Minister, his family and also console his bereaved wife who lost her father recently.
On September 25, she will take off from Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on a regular Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai International Airport, UAE. After a short break of journey, her entourage will head home and reach Hazrat Shah Jalal Airport in Dhaka on September 26. Prime Minister is leading a 70 member entourage Foreign Minister, Local Government, Rural Development Minister and State Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment. Beside them, a business delegation of 100 members led by Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries president are also accompanying the Prime Minister.
– 19 September 2016
