Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here this afternoon en route to New York on an eight-day official visit to the USA to attend the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
She will deliver the country statement at the 74th Annual General Debate of the UNGA in New York on September 27.
During the visit, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on September 24 and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on September 28.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage members landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the UAE at 6:15pm local time (8:15pm BST).
Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE Mohammad Imran received the premier at the airport.
Earlier, the prime minister left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka for Abu Dhabi at 3:35pm Bangladesh time.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Liton Chowdhury and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali were present at the airport to see the prime minister off.
Besides, the cabinet secretary, the chiefs of the three services, the PM’s principal secretary, the US ambassador in Dhaka, the UAE ambassador to Bangladesh, the Vatican’s ambassador and high civil and military officials were present at the airport.
After a one-day stopover in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hasina will fly to New York by an Etihad Airways flight at 10:30 am (local time) on September 22.
The premier will arrive at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York at 4:25pm (local time) the same day where Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Mohammad Ziauddin and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Masud Bin Momen will welcome her.
On September 23, Sheikh Hasina along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will co-chair the Multistakeholder Panel to be held in parallel to the High-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage at ECOSOC.
Besides, the prime minister is expected to present the national statement at the plenary session of the high-level meeting on universal health coverage at Trusteeship Council.
She will also deliver a statement at the climate action summit in the UN General Assembly Hall and attend an event on “Recognising political leadership for immunization in Bangladesh”.
On September 24, the prime minister will hold bilateral meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Kennedy Room, Lotte New York Palace Hotel.
She will have meeting with Queen Maxima, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, at the UN Headquarters (UNHQ) Booth.
She will attend a side event to be hosted by Global Commission on Adaptation at Conference Room 7, UNHQ and the State Luncheon to be hosted by the UN Secretary General at North Delegate’s Lounge.
She will also join the High-level Side-Event on the Situation of Rohingya Minority in Myanmar to be organised by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh and the OIC Secretariat at Conference Room 11, UNHQ.
Sheikh Hasina will attend an event on “Leadership Matters- Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the Contemporary World” at ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ and a reception to be hosted by US President Donald J. Trump at Lotte New York Palace Hotel.
On September 25, the premier will co-moderate Leader’s dialogue 4 on “Localizing the SDGs” at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (SDG summit) at the Trusteeship Council.
She will participate in an event titled ‘A conversation with Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Interactive Dialogue’ at Council on Foreign Relations.
On the same day, she is likely to hold a meeting with former Australian Prime Minister and Chair, Sanitation and Water for All Kevin Rudd at Bilateral Meeting Room, Lotte New York Palace Hotel and also attend the dinner at the Bangladesh House.
On September 26, the prime minister will have meetings with Alex V. Volkov, Chairman, ExxonMobil LNG Market Development Inc, Irina Bokova, ex-director general of UNESCO, Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the Bilateral Meeting Room, Lotte New York Palace Hotel.
Sheikh Hasina will attend Luncheon Roundtable Meeting, to be organised by the US Chamber of Commerce at the Holmes, Lotte New York Palace the same day.
She will also be present at the event on ‘An evening with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’ to be organized by UNICEF at the Labouisse Hall, UNICEF House.
On September 27, Sheikh Hasina will attend the High-level Side-Event on
“Sustainable Universal Health Coverage: Comprehensive Primary Care Inclusive of Mental Health and Disabilities” to be organised by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh at the Conference Room 1, UNHQ.
The prime minister will deliver the country statement in the 74th Annual General Debate of the UN General Assembly the same day.
On September 28, she will address a press briefing at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in New York and join a reception to be accorded to her by the Bangladesh community in New York at Hotel Marriott Marquis.
Sheikh Hasina will have a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the UN Secretariat.
The prime minister will receive two global awards during the UNGA for Bangladesh’s great success in vaccination and youth skill development.
“Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI) has expressed its keen interest to confer an award named ‘Vaccine Hero’ on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in recognition of Bangladesh’s outstanding success in vaccination,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told a press conference on Wednesday.
Besides, he said, UNICEF will honour the premier with an award titled ‘Champion of Skill Development for Youth’ on the sidelines of the UNGA session.
The foreign minister said an event styled ‘An evening to honour Her Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’ will be organized to confer the award.
Moreover, the premier will give interviews to a number of renowned international media including the VOA, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
On September 29, the prime minister will leave New York for Dhaka via Abu Dhabi by an Etihad Airways flight at 9pm (local time).
She will arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at 8pm (local time) on September 30.
The prime minister will depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport at 10:45pm (local time) for Dhaka by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The flight will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka in the early morning on October 1.-BSS
