Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has left Istanbul for New York after a brief stopover in the Turkish city to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The prime minister, accompanied by his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman and other members of his delegation, departed Istanbul Airport on a Turkish Airlines flight at 2:10pm local time, said his Assistant Press Secretary K M Nazmul Haque.

The flight arrived in Istanbul at 10:55am local time after an 8-hour-45-minute journey from Dhaka. The prime minister spent 2 hours and 35 minutes in transit before continuing his journey to New York.

The flight is scheduled to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 5:55pm New York time. Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Irene Khan and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tarek Mohammad Ariful Islam are expected to receive the prime minister at the airport.

He will then travel by motorcade to the Hyatt Grand Central New York, where he will stay during his visit.

Official engagements begin on September 22

According to Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, the prime minister’s official programme will begin on September 22. He will attend a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for heads of state and government before joining the opening ceremony of the General Assembly alongside other world leaders.

In the evening, he is scheduled to attend a reception hosted by the US president in honour of heads of state and government and their spouses.

On September 23, Tarique Rahman will hold a breakfast meeting with representatives of international charitable and humanitarian organisations. He is also scheduled to address a meeting on tackling the global inequality crisis, jointly organised by Brazil, South Africa, Norway and Spain.

Later that day, he will attend a high-level meeting titled “Climate Action and the Just Transition”, organised at the initiative of the UN secretary-general.

He will also join a Bangladesh-hosted side event on the Rohingya crisis on September 23, where he is expected to seek stronger international support for the swift repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

UN address on September 24

On September 24, the prime minister is scheduled to deliver the opening remarks at a high-level meeting on addressing existential threats caused by rising sea levels.

At the meeting, he will highlight Bangladesh’s position as a climate-vulnerable country, with emphasis on climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, loss and damage, and climate justice.

He is also expected to address the general debate of the UN General Assembly on the same day.

Another Bangladesh-hosted side event focusing on maternal and newborn health and midwifery is also scheduled for September 24. As the chief guest, the prime minister is expected to outline government initiatives and future plans to improve maternal and child health and stress the importance of skilled and trained midwives.

Bilateral meetings with world leaders

Alongside his UNGA engagements, the prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several foreign leaders, including the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bhutan, Thailand, Pakistan and Haiti.

The meetings are expected to cover political and economic relations, trade and investment, development cooperation, the Rohingya crisis and other issues of mutual interest.

Tarique Rahman is also scheduled to meet the UN secretary-general, the president of the European Council, the president of the World Bank Group, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the president of the International Peace Institute.

As part of his economic diplomacy, the prime minister will also meet senior representatives of Wall Street, Meta and several other business organisations. Discussions are expected to focus on Bangladesh’s investment climate, opportunities in manufacturing, infrastructure and technology, skills and human-resource development, and quality employment opportunities for young people.

The prime minister is scheduled to leave John F. Kennedy International Airport for Dhaka on an Emirates Airlines flight at 11pm New York time on September 25.

This will be Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first participation in the UN General Assembly, providing an opportunity to present the new government’s political commitments and its vision for Bangladesh to the international community.