Rohingya Crisis: Hasina to seek global support

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who reached New York yesterday to attend the United Nations General Assembly, would plead for global support to cope with the ongoing Rohingya crisis, as the refugee deluge fleeing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar tops 410,000.

Her priority at the 72nd UNGA is to make a formal proposal to find a long-lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis, which includes repatriation of over 800,000 Myanmar nationals through a peaceful manner.

Hasina, who is set to address the general debate on September 21, would highlight the root causes behind the Rohingya crisis and place specific proposals for an early solution to the longstanding humanitarian crisis.

Apart from addressing the UNGA, the PM would also take part in a variety of events on the sidelines and hold bilateral meetings with global leaders to mount pressure on Myanmar for halting the ethnic cleansing in Rakhine and taking back the Rohingyas.

Hasina is leading a 265-member delegation, including 173 businesspersons, 14 Awami League and alliance leaders, 15 top officials from the Prime Minister's Office, eight from the foreign ministry, 11 from other ministries, 22 security personnel and 16 media personnel.

LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed and State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze are accompanying the PM.

Bangladesh Ambassador in the US Mohammad Ziauddin and Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Masud Bin Momen received the prime minister at JFK International Airport in New York yesterday afternoon.

From the airport, she was taken to Hotel Grand Hyatt in New York where she would stay during her tour till September 21.

As part of her programme schedule, the PM would attend a high-level meeting today on “UN Reforms” to be hosted by US President Donald Trump.

She would also attend another high-level meeting on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse at the UN Headquarters (UNHQ) and the high-level follow-up meeting of Global Deal for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth at Convene Conference Centre.

The prime minister along with other heads of state and government is set to join the official lunch tomorrow to be hosted by UN Secretary General António Guterres.

The lunch would be followed by a high-level roundtable of the UN secretary general's high-level panel on Women's Economic Empowerment for Leaving No One Behind, and another high-level meeting on “Pact for Environment” to be hosted by French president.

In the afternoon tomorrow, Hasina would join the crucial OIC Contact Group meeting on Rohingya minorities at the UNHQ. The PM would seek strong support from the OIC and its member countries for helping the Rohingyas.

Hasina would also take part in a reception for the Commonwealth heads of state and government to be hosted by British Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat, current Commonwealth chair-in-office, later tomorrow.

She would also join a welcome reception of US President Donald Trump in the evening at Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue.

Later, the PM would attend a reception to be hosted by the Bangladesh community at New York Marriot Marquis at 8:30pm.

On September 20, Hasina is set to attend the signing ceremony of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the UNHQ. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali would sign the treaty on behalf of Bangladesh.

She is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Kersti Kaljulaid, president of Estonia, at the UNHQ at 9:30am.

The PM would attend a side event titled “SDG Implementation, Financing and Monitoring: Sharing Innovations through South-South and Triangular Cooperation” to be organised by Bangladesh in partnership with UNDP and UN Office for South-South Cooperation at the UNHQ.

Hasina would also attend the opening segment of a high-level side event titled “Creating a Policy Vision for SDG Finance: Facilitating Private Sector Investment in the SDGs” to be organised by Bangladesh and Canada in partnership with UNDP at the UNHQ.

She is scheduled to attend a luncheon roundtable meeting to be arranged by Business Council for International Understanding. Later, Hasina would hold a bilateral meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN secretary general's special advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

Hasina would also attend a high-level open debate on UN peacekeeping issues to be organised by Ethiopian delegation in its capacity as the president of UN Security Council for September 2017 at Security Council Chamber of the UNHQ.

She is scheduled to hold a meeting with secretary general of IOM and give an interview to Sadanand Dhume of Wall Street Journal.

On September 21, President of IBM Virginia Marie Rometty is going to meet Hasina before a bilateral meeting with Hashim Thaci, president of Kosovo, at her hotel.

Later, she would join the Fourth Meeting of the High-level Panel on Water at the UN head office. She would also meet Prof Claus Schwab, executive chairman of World Economic Forum.

Later, the PM would hold a bilateral meeting with her Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba.

She would brief the press on her UN visit in the evening on September 21 at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in New York.

Hasina would leave New York for Virginia by road on September 22. After staying in Virginia for a week, she is scheduled to fly for home on September 29 and return home on October 2 via London.