Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is set to reach New York on September 23 to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which is seen as a big opportunity for him to share his government’s priorities following the student-led mass uprising, and economic plans including which areas specifically the international community can be helpful in strengthening and stabilizing Bangladesh’s economy.

The first day of the high-level General Debate will be held on Tuesday, September 24.

“The Chief Adviser will stay three days in New York and he will leave New York on September 27,” Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters on Saturday at a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy.

He said the Chief Adviser will go to New York on a commercial flight. He said the Chief Adviser will go to New York on a commercial flight. The Chief Adviser will deliver his speech on September 27, said the Foreign Adviser.

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and Director General (East Asia & Pacific Wing) Toufique Hasan were also present at the briefing.

Hossain said a major political changeover has taken place in Bangladesh and they want to let people know so that no confusion remains regarding what happened in Bangladesh. He said Prof Yunus is highly respected globally and all countries will take his remarks seriously.

The Adviser said he will go to New York by a separate commercial flight two days prior to the Chief Adviser's arrival in New York.

Asked about any possibility to have a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Foreign Adviser said it seems there is no possibility as Modi is going there a bit early while Chief Adviser Yunus is going there a bit late.

The Chief Adviser will have meetings—bilateral and call on—with prime ministers of the Netherlands, Pakistan, Nepal and the President of the European Union, US Secretary of State, UN Secretary-General, UN Human Rights chief, the World Bank President, and USAID Administrator, said the Foreign Adviser.

In fact, he said, many meeting decisions are made at the last minute during this time. “New meetings may be added to that consideration; again, due to lack of time, any meeting may be omitted.”

Discussions are underway for the Chief Adviser’s bilateral meetings with the President of the United States, the President of Italy, and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. Also, there is a discussion that China's Foreign Minister may meet the Chief Adviser.

The Foreign Adviser, however, said he will have a bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines.

Hossain said reforms and human rights will be highlighted and the government will continue to make commitments to take steps on human rights issues.

"I can't justify why there were large delegations in the past. But the current government wants to avoid unnecessary expenses," he said.

The Foreign Adviser said, this time the delegation will have 57 members, and a big number of them are security personnel. On previous occasions, the Bangladesh delegation varied between 300 and 100 plus members.

Unlike recent years, a delegation of over a hundred members from Bangladesh will not visit New York on a chartered flight, he said, adding that rather, a delegation has been formed as limited as possible according to their respective affiliations or responsibilities.

Hossain said only those with direct responsibilities at the UNGA will accompany the Chief Adviser.

“I will fly to New York two days earlier on a different flight to attend high-level meetings consistent with my responsibilities,” he said.

The theme of the General Debate is "Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations."

50th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s UN Membership

Bangladesh will host a high-level reception on September 24 in presence of the Chief Adviser marking 50 years of Bangladesh’s UN membership.

“This year's session is particularly significant for Bangladesh because this year marks the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's membership in the United Nations,” said the Adviser.

In addition to the heads of delegations of different countries, Hossain said they expect that top officials of the United Nations, some heads of government or state, and heads of various organizations will participate in this reception.

“It goes without saying that the recognition and reputation that the Chief Counsel enjoys worldwide. Because of this, many world-renowned news organizations have requested to interview him,” said the Adviser.

Besides, there have been requests to participate in bilateral meetings and meetings at various levels. As he will be in New York for only three days, it will be difficult for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to fulfill all the requests in such a short period of time, said the Adviser.

Highlights of September 27 Speech

In his speech on September 27, Prof Yunus is expected to present the details of the unimaginable mass uprising that happened in Bangladesh in the last two months and his conviction to build a state system that is people-oriented, welfare-oriented and dedicated to public interest in the coming days.

“Besides, Bangladesh's strong position in peacekeeping operations in ensuring international peace and security, climate change and its impact, establishment of climate justice, global conflict, Rohingya crisis, difficulties of developing countries in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prevention of resource trafficking from developing countries, safe Issues related to immigration, ensuring migrants access to basic services, sustainable transfer of technology in terms of generative artificial intelligence, and Palestine are likely to come up in his speech,” Hossain said.

The Adviser will also represent Bangladesh in several events on the sidelines of this year's General Session.

Of particular importance is the Summit of the Future. World leaders will adopt a forward-looking declaration titled Pact of the Future at the Summit of the Future to be held at the UN headquarters on September 22-23.

“We are hopeful that two more declarations entitled Declaration on the Future Generations and Global Digital Compact will be accepted as attachments to this Pact of the Future,” Hossain said.

In addition to the active participation of the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in the ongoing negotiation process of these three documents, various initiatives were taken in Dhaka by Bangladesh in cooperation with the relevant organizations of the United Nations in order to discuss and exchange views on this issue at the national and international levels.

“I hope to participate in the Ministerial Meeting of Non-Aligned Movement, Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Commonwealth States, Ministerial Meeting of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Annual Ministerial Meeting of Least Developed Countries, Ministerial Meeting of Asian Cooperation Dialogue etc,” Hossain said.

He said they are also organizing a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis.

“It goes without saying that the interim government has initiated reforms to build a new Bangladesh. In this context, this session is a new step for new Bangladesh in the United Nations or the world meeting. In this session, we have a great opportunity to present this non-discrimination, justice-based Bangladesh to the world,” Hossain said.

South Asian affairs expert Michael Kugelman previously said Prof Yunus’ participation at the 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) will be a big opportunity for him to share his government’s economic plans, including which areas specifically the international community can be helpful in strengthening and stabilizing Bangladesh's economy. 

“He would be speaking in New York on the biggest global platform since he took over the role of adviser leading the interim government,” said Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Kugelman said there are several things that Prof Yunus could do, several things that he could say.

“I think that above all he should lay out a vision for governance, the goals of the interim government, his plans for reforms and his efforts to push for the restoration of democracy.”

Kugelman said he thinks that Prof Yunus’ platform at the UNGA would give him an opportunity to weigh in on what is arguably Bangladesh's biggest humanitarian challenge, the Rohingya refugee issue.

“I think that it would be useful for him to make a pitch for international assistance or more international assistance for Rohingya refugees, which would be an especially important pitch for two reasons,” he said.