PM to attend opening ceremony of 81st UNGA today

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to attend different programmes, including the opening ceremony of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, and hold meetings with leaders of various countries and international bodies in New York today, on the first day of his maiden UNGA visit as the head of the government of Bangladesh.
His crucial engagements on the day will include participation in the welcome breakfast hosted by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and a reception hosted by US President Donald Trump.
The premier is scheduled to attend the welcome breakfast hosted by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres forHeads of Delegation at the North Delegate Lounge of the UN Headquarters at 8am.
PM’s wife Dr Zubaida Rahman will accompany him as, apart from heads of delegations, their spouses are also invited.
Then he will attend the opening ceremony of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the General Assembly Hall of the UN Headquarters.
He is expected to sit in bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vice President of the Maldives Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay, and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.
Tarique Rahman will also take part in a series of courtesy meetings on the day. The meetings will be held with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar Julie Bishop, European Council President António Costa, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, and Chief Global Affairs Officer of Meta Platforms Joel Kaplan.
The prime minister will also attend the reception hosted by US President Donald Trump on the occasion of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in the evening.

The Prime Minister was expected to be received 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 at the John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport.
Earlier, a Turkish Airlines flight carrying Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and other entourage members left Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6:05am on Monday.
PM’s UN trip focused on work, not ceremony: Mahdi Amin
Prime Minister’s Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin said that Tarique Rahman’s UN visit is a mission to serve the people and safeguard Bangladesh’s national interests.
In a Facebook post, Mahdi said that the journey to the United States takes a day each way, leaving the prime minister only four days on the ground for an intensive schedule of back-to-back bilateral and multilateral meetings, high-level UN programmes and diplomatic engagements aimed at advancing Bangladesh’s interests.
The six-day visit includes a 35-member official entourage, comprising 15 ministers, state ministers, advisers and special assistants, along with essential personnel responsible for security, media and personal duties, Mahdi said.
“This is not about ceremony; it is about working for the people. It is not about showing off power; it is about protecting Bangladesh’s interests,” he said.
Mahdi said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would follow in the footsteps of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia as the third member of the family to represent Bangladesh at the United Nations.
As an elected prime minister, Tarique will use the global platform to voice the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people while presenting the country’s national interests, government policies and future plans, he said.
Mahdi also highlighted what he described as a unique dimension of the visit: while the prime minister represents Bangladesh on the global stage, his foreign minister will preside over the UN General Assembly session.
Tarique Rahman will address the UNGA on Thursday.
He is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka from JFK International Airport at 11pm on Friday.

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