DHAKA: During the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Bangladesh will be presented as a Success Story both inside the main conference hall and also the outdoor activities.
In sessions and also in forums Bangladesh’s success story on different fields will be vividly presented. Besides, in the climatic conference convened by UN Secretary General Bangladesh will be the big voice.
More than 120 head of states and governments are going to join the UN summit this year. Bangladesh will be main attraction to many. Many heads of states and governments are looking forward at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The world leaders are eagerly waiting to listen from Sheikh Hasina about the strategy taken by Bangladesh in poverty reduction, reducing child mortality rate and empowerment of women and other major MDGs.
Similarly they want that in the Climate conference Bangladesh would be the “Big Voice”. The role of PM Sheikh Hasina will be most updated and strong, they expect.
These were informed by Bangladesh’s permanent representative to UN Dr AK Abdul Momen. Dr Momen told banglanews over telephone from New York that Bangladesh will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its membership in UN. For this momentous occasion all sorts of initiatives have been taken from the Bangladesh Mission at UN and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure the country’s significant and glorious participation in this year’s summit.
Dr Momen told that according to program PM Sheikh Hasina is set to address the UN general assembly at morning hours on September 27. In the afternoon of that day, she is supposed to deliver a special speech at Central Park of New York.
This program called Global Citizenship Festival-2014 some dozens of world leaders will speak. Meanwhile it is learnt that in this festival Bangladesh will be presented as an example of a model of success for its social and economic progress.
Dr Momen informed that this will be a great achievement for Bangladesh. The citizens coming from worldwide will participate in this festival where the main attraction will be Bangladesh and the speech of Sheikh Hasina.
In the Central Park Festival with the capacity of accommodating 60 thousand people, the intenders who want to participate have been advised to contact for registration to this address by on line http://www.globalcitizen.org, as informed by Dr Momen.
Sheikh Hasina will also hold sideline bi-lateral talks outside the summit hall like previous years. But it is yet to be finalized with whom the sideline bi-lateral talks will be held, told Dr Momen.
When asked about any bi-lateral talks with Indian Prime Minister, he replied that diplomatic contacts are going on. Indian PM Narendra Modi is also supposed to address the summit on September 27. Modi is also set to address the Global Citizenship Festival at the Central Park.
Dr Momen further informed the bi-lateral talks likely to be held with the countries where Bangladeshis are working, the countries having economic and trade ties besides the neighboring countries.
There are scopes of bi-lateral talks of the Prime Minister with the leaders of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar coming to join the summit, told Dr Momen.
Along side General Assembly summit, the climate conference convened by Secretary General of UN will be also held on September 23. PM Sheikh Hasina will be the prime voice in this conference.
Dr Momen informed that State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam and he had joined the 3rd Summit of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Samoa from September 1 -4. This was attended by 21 Heads of Governments/States, 91 Ministers, and 4,500 delegates of 100 countries including top UN officials like President of the General Assembly, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, heads of UN organizations. Most of the delegates dwell on it as SIDS suffer vulnerability owing to climate change. Bangladesh although not a SIDS country but like SIDS, it is highly vulnerable due to climate change as 1 meter rise in the sea level may force and uproot nearly 30 million population of Bangladesh.
The problems of adverse climate faced by the small island states and other state leaders also participated in this conference organized by UN.
The Bangladesh delegation discussed the problem with the heads of states and ministers of more than 38 countries.
The affected countries due to adverse climate told that they are looking forward at Bangladesh Prime Minister for raising voice to resolving the problems.
This comment not only came from the island states but also from the developed nations, told Dr Momen.
Dr Momen added that all preparations are underway with the object so that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina can play the due role in the UN summit and climate conference for fulfilling the desired expectations of all.
BDST: 1434 HRS, SEP 08, 2014
