CA returns home wrapping up Switzerland tour

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Saturday (25 January) arrived in Dhaka from Switzerland after attending the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos.

A commercial flight of the Emirates Airlines carrying the chief adviser and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:06pm.

Yunus departed the Zurich International Airport at 9:50 pm (Swiss time) on Friday night (24 January).

Top private companies are "convinced" about the country's "potentials and its stability" in the post revolution months, said Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, adding that they are impressed with the latest economic numbers.

"One thing was quite clear that the biggest decision the students made just after the fall of Hasina was to persuade Yunus to head the interim government. And that has made all the difference," Alam said.

Bangladesh's Davos mission concluded on a high note, said the press secretary, adding that the chief adviser and his small Davos team is back home "with their heads held high".

Yunus held 47 meetings with heads of states, CEOs and dignitaries.

Top European leaders are firmly backing the interim government and its reform agenda to restore democracy, Alam said.

Top journalists from some of the world's best news outlets have queued to take Yunus' interviews.

"Nobody seems to be bothered by the propaganda campaign by the Indian outlets. They are very much aware of the dirty jobs that Indian media does for their political masters," said the press secretary.

"The Tulip Siddiq saga in the UK added some extra layers to Hasina's 'Highway Robbery' story. The Western press now knows the kind of plunder and looting that took place during the Sheikh Hasina dictatorship," Alam said.

Yunus also spoke about data manipulation, blaming the world for being blind during the "dictatorship".

The chief adviser is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Saturday evening by an Emirates flight.

Yunus, who reached Davos on 21 January, had four meetings with Heads of Government/State, four meetings with Minister-level dignitaries and ten meetings with heads/top executives of UN or similar organisations, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said.

The chief adviser had 10 meetings with CEOs/high-level business persons, attended nine WEF-hosted programs and four formal dinner and lunch events.

Yunus also had eight media engagements on the sidelines of the WEF annual meeting in addition to joining two other events.

Chief Adviser's Special Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Secretary (West) M Riaz Hamidullah, among others, accompanied Dr Yunus.

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting in Davos brought together world leaders to address key global and regional challenges.

These included responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding just and inclusive energy transition.

This year's meeting convened under the theme 'Collaboration for the Intelligent Age' and the programme will be oriented around five distinct but highly interconnected thematic priorities:

Some 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions attended the event.