Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will highlight the Rohingya refugee crisis and the Covid-19 vaccine issue in her UN General Assembly speech on Sep 26.
She will also talk about climate change, migration, women empowerment and child rights, exchange of technology and gender balance in her pre-recorded speech to be delivered at 8pm, Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen said Monday at a press conference.
The General Assembly began on Sep 15 virtually for the first time due to the pandemic. The general debate, where all heads of states or their nominated representatives address the world on their own issues, begins a week after the opening of the assembly.
“The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism - confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action” – is the theme of this year’s general assembly.
The prime minister in her address, among other issues, would make a call to ensure vaccines for all at an affordable cost. Like previous year, she will speak in Bangla.
The foreign minister said the prime minister will highlight her government’s steps in addressing Covid-19 in the country and also the need of working together to ensure availability of a vaccine for all to end people’s sufferings.
Apart from the general debate, the prime minister will speak in a number of sideline events. Her first pre-recorded speech will be aired at 4am on Tuesday at the high-level event marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
On the Rohingya issue, she will highlight the ongoing legal procedures at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ). She will also reiterate the five-point proposals placed by her after the latest crisis began in 2017.
The foreign minister will attend a number of events virtually apart from representing the Prime Minister in some programmes.
The Prime Minister will attend high-level dialogue on “Digital Cooperation: Action Today for Future Generations” on September 23.
On September 24, she will deliver a speech at the high level roundtable on Climate Action and will highlight climate issues as the chair of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).
On September 29, the Prime Minister will virtually attend the high-level event on Financing for Development (FFD) in the era of Covid-19 and beyond.
On September 30, she will deliver a speech at a summit on biodiversity.
The Prime Minister will also deliver a speech at a high-level meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for action (Beijing +25) on October 1.
The theme of the event is ‘Accelerating the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’.
The foreign minister will attend a number of events including high-level plenary meetings to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.