PM to highlight vaccine equality, Rohingya, climate issues at UNGA: FM

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will highlight issues related to equal distribution of Covid vaccine globally, climate change and Rohingya at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

"The issue of removing vaccine discrimination will be discussed with special emphasis at this year's general assembly session," said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at a curtain-raiser press briefing of UNGA at the foreign ministry here.

Dr Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave here on Friday morning to attend the UNGA in New York with a stopover in Helsinki, Finland.

"The Honourable Prime Minister will reach New York on September 19," Dr Momen said, adding that the premier will address the UNGA on September 24.

The theme of this year's UNGA is - "Building resilience through hope-to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably to respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalize the United Nations".  

"A large segment of this year's general assembly will be engaged with the situation of Covid-19 and its sustainable recovery and rebuilding," Dr Momen said.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh Prime Minister will reiterate her call to make the Covid-19 vaccine a public good without any discrimination.

Apart from the Covid issue, the foreign minister said, ahead of the COP26, the UNGA would discuss the climate change issue that is very important for Bangladesh as currently, Dhaka is the chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).   

"We would seek to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius and funding for both mitigation and adaptation," he said.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh will also hold a side event on the Rohingya crisis where a number of countries are expected to join.

Besides, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold meetings with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Maldives president, Vietnam president and Barbados prime minister.

Dr Momen said the Bangladesh premier will also hold a meeting with the US business community and seek investments in Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also scheduled to hold a press briefing and address a community gathering virtually during her visit.  

Wrapping up her official visit to New York, the Prime Minister will visit Washington DC from September 25 to 30 before leaving for Dhaka.

This is going to be Prime Minister Hasina's first overseas visit since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to return home on October 1 after a stopover in Finland.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, among others, were present at the press conference.