PM to address 75th UNGA tomorrow

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address virtually the 75th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA) in New York tomorrow, BSS reports.

“The prime minister is scheduled to deliver her pre-recorded country statement at the UNGA general debate in the UN Headquarters approximately at 10 am New York time (Bangladesh time 8 pm) tomorrow,” PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS today.

The prime minister will deliver the speech in Bangla like every year in the past following the footprint of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he added.

Bangabandhu was the first Bangalee who made history by delivering the first Bangla speech at the United Nations at the 29th UNGA on September 25, 1974.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her address will highlight a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Rohingya crisis and climate change,” Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen told a virtual press briefing here on September 21.

He said the premier will highlight matters related to global COVID situation, equal distribution of potential vaccine and pandemic impact on migrant workers and remittance while she will raise voice on climate issues as the President of Calamite Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

The foreign minister said the prime minister will urge the international community to continue their stand and efforts in resolving the protracted Rohignya issue in line with her four-point proposal that she had placed before the 74th UNGA last year regarding a durable solution of the crisis.

Besides, he said, the premier will also highlight Bangladesh’s successes in containing COVID-19, SDG implementation, establishing women empowerment and rights, poverty elevation, anti-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking activities, economic advancement, sustainable democracy and good governance and maintenance of world peace.

The 75th session of the UNGA started virtually from September 21 with the theme “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism”.

For the first time in the UN’s 75-year history, the global leaders have joined virtually the annual high-level session of the world’s apex platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.