Hasina to co-chair with Obama in New York summit on peace operations

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will co-chair with US President Barack Obama in New York a high-level summit on “peace operations” on Sep 28 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the foreign minister has said.

Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali was briefing the press on the prime minister’s upcoming visit to New York from Sep 23 to Oct 1 to attend UN meetings.

She will be leading a 60-member delegation, including a business team, to the US city.

While in New York, Hasina will receive the UN’s highest environment honour, ‘Champions of the Earth’, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) award for ICTs in sustainable development.

The finance minister, foreign minister, expatriate welfare minister, the prime minister’s advisers for political and economic affairs, state minister for foreign affairs and state minister for women and children affairs, among others, will accompany Hasina.

Ali said Hasina’s schedule would be “very busy”.

This year, global leaders will adopt the next 15 years’ development goal – SDGs - in a summit to be held from Sep 25 to Sep 27. Hasina will deliver her speech on the last day.

Besides, she will co-chair with her Belgian counterpart an interactive meet on Sep 26.

She will deliver her speech, in Bangla, at the UN General Assembly on Sep 30.

The foreign minister said, in her speech, she would highlight international peace and security, democracy and governance, women’s empowerment, migrant workers’ rights, poverty eradication, climate change, and Bangladesh’s MDG achievements.

Bangladesh is the world’s top provider of troops to UN peace-keeping missions. In a recent visit, the UN under secretary-general who oversees peacekeeping operations praised Bangladesh’s contribution.

The foreign minister said the US president would organise a high-level summit on Sep 28 to be co-chaired by the Bangladesh prime minister.

The UN secretary-general would also co-chair the event.

He said the prime minister would make certain commitments to further strengthen global peacekeeping efforts.

Hasina will also join a global leaders’ meet on gender equality and women’s empowerment on Sep 27 at the invitation of the Chinese president.

Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali

She is also scheduled to deliver a speech at a summit organised by the US president on countering the ISIL and violent extremism.

On Sep 29, Hasina will be the chief guest at a special event on “Moving from MDGs to SDGs: Bangladesh experience and expectations”.

Bangladesh will host the event in which leaders of various countries are expected to take part.

On Sep 25, she will speak at the World Leaders’ Forum at Columbia University on the theme ‘Girls lead the way’.

She will exchange views with the UK Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) on trade and investments in Bangladesh.

The foreign minister said they were also working on holding bilateral talks with the US and Chinese presidents, and the Indian prime minister.

Hasina was the prime minister in 2000 when the MDGs were adopted.

Apart from attending the prime minister’s events, the foreign minister will join different ministerial meetings of SAARC, OIC, NAM, G-77 and China, Commonwealth, and the Asian Cooperation Dialogue.