Chief Advisor Yunus to address UN session on Friday

In his speech, the chief advisor will focus on reforms, elections, the July killing trial, and the Rohingya crisis

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Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus will address the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on Friday.

The session is scheduled to begin at 9am local time (7pm in Bangladesh). The chief advisor will address the session as the 10th speaker of the day.

Yunus is expected to highlight the interim government’s reform initiatives, its firm commitment to holding free and fair elections in February 2026, the aspirations of the July 2024 mass uprising, the trials for the July killings and the Rohingya crisis, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reports.

In a briefing, the chief advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that during his speech, Yunus would inform the world about what reforms the Bangladesh interim government has taken in the last 14 months and the economic recovery of the country.

He will also focus on what initiatives his government has taken for a “democratic transition” in Bangladesh.

"The main message is that a fundamental election is going to be held within the 15th of February (next year). It will be a free, fair, peaceful, credible and festive one," Alam said.

After the end of the 15-year rule of the Awami League, the interim government of Bangladesh took office on Aug 8, 2024. A month and a half later, on Sept 27, Chief Advisor Yunus addressed the United Nations for the first time as a leader of Bangladesh.

In that speech, he urged the world leaders to engage in a "new way" with the "new Bangladesh" that emerged through the student-led mass uprising.

Over the past year, the interim government has finalised proposals for state reform through a series of discussions with political parties. Currently, it has been working with the Election Commission with an aim to hold the 13th general elections before Ramadan in February 2026.