Chief Advisor Yunus leaves New York after 9-day visit

He is returning home after a nine-day tour in the US, during which he attended the UN General Assembly

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has left New York for home, wrapping up his nine-day US tour.

A commercial flight of Emirates airline carrying the chief advisor and his entourage departed John F Kennedy International Airport at 11:10pm (local time), reports state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha.

Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury and Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Tareq Md Ariful Islam saw Yunus off at John F Kennedy Airport, Deputy Press Secretary Abdul Kalam Azad Majumder told BSS.

During his visit, the chief advisor delivered a speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept 26.

On Sept 30, he spoke at the “Opening Session of the High-Level Conference on the Situation of the Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar” at the UN Headquarters.

Yunus held a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sept 29.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi called on Yunus at his hotel too.

The UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States Rabab Fatima met the Bangladesh leader as well.

During his New York visit, Yunus attended a reception hosted by US President Donald Trump, where he extended an invitation to the president to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.

He also joined bilateral meetings with heads of governments and states of a number of countries, including the Netherlands, Pakistan, Bhutan and Kosovo.

He is scheduled to reach Dhaka on Thursday.