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PM Tarique heads for UNGA debut with ‘new Bangladesh’ message
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 21 Sep 2026, 12:00 AM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is heading to New York for his maiden United Nations General Assembly appearance as Bangladesh’s head of government, carrying a “new Bangladesh” message focused on democratic consolidation, economic recovery, climate finance and a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The prime minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka early today and address the 81st UNGA in Bengali on Thursday, becoming the third member of his family to address the global forum.
His visit has been shortened, with his return scheduled for Friday night.
“In his address, the prime minister will outline Bangladesh’s renewed democratic journey and the government’s positions on key national and global challenges,” Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told reporters at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Tarique is expected to highlight what the government describes as Bangladesh’s democratic transformation following years of undemocratic rule and one-sided, flawed and rigged elections.
He will also outline his government’s priorities on the rule of law, accountability, youth and women’s empowerment, social protection, education and healthcare.
Siam said the prime minister would present his vision for Bangladesh’s future and its role in advancing global peace, sustainable development and solutions to international crises.
The Rohingya crisis will feature prominently in the UN engagements. At a Bangladesh-hosted side event on Wednesday, Tarique is expected to seek stronger international support for concrete steps towards the earliest possible repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.
Climate change will be another major focus, with Bangladesh pressing for greater access to predictable climate finance, adaptation support, technology transfer, loss and damage funding and climate justice.
The prime minister has previously called for the Loss and Damage Fund to move from commitment to actual delivery.
His UN programme will begin tomorrow with a series of high-level engagements.
PM Tarique ill attend a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of state and government, participate in the opening of the General Assembly and attend an evening reception hosted by US President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, Tarique will meet representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations before addressing a high-level meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis, jointly organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain.
He will also attend a high-level meeting on climate action and the just transition, convened at the initiative of the UN secretary-general, where he is expected to highlight Bangladesh’s vulnerability to climate change and its demands for finance, adaptation, technology transfer and climate justice.
On Thursday, he will deliver the opening remarks at a high-level meeting on the existential threats posed by rising sea levels.
Bangladesh will host two other side events during the visit. At a meeting on maternal and newborn health and midwifery,
Tarique is expected to outline the government’s initiatives and future plans for strengthening maternal and child healthcare, with emphasis on skilled and professionally trained midwives.
Alongside the UN programme, the prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.
The talks are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.
Tarique is also scheduled to meet Guterres, the president of the European Council, the president of the World Bank Group, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar, and the UN high commissioners for refugees and human rights. He is also expected to meet the president of the International Peace Institute.
Economic diplomacy will be another key strand of the visit. The prime minister is scheduled to meet senior representatives of Meta, Wall Street and other business organisations to promote investment, trade and business opportunities in Bangladesh.
Under the government’s “Bangladesh First” approach, Dhaka plans to showcase investment opportunities and the country’s potential in trade, tourism, creative industries and exports, while seeking fresh momentum for economic growth and poverty reduction.
Tarique is also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Trump, amid speculation over a possible meeting between the two leaders.
Bangladesh is further expected to sign an agreement with Boeing for the purchase of 11 additional aircraft from the United States during the visit.
Asked about the possible Tarique-Trump meeting and the reported Boeing agreement, Siam said programmes on the sidelines of multilateral conferences remained subject to change.
“The programme is prepared on an ongoing basis,” he said, adding that planned meetings could be dropped while new engagements could be added.
“All options remain open,” he said.
Tarique will lead a small delegation, with two political leaders joining the visit: Dr Golam Mohiuddin, secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, and Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party.
The delegation will also include Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, and Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman.