United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Dhaka this afternoon on a four-day official visit at the invitation of Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus.
An Emirates flight (EK-586) carrying Guterres landed at Hazrat Shahjalal international Airport (HSIA) at around 4:26 pm.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain received the UN Secretary General at the HSIA when two tiny tots welcome Guterres with flower bouquets.
From the airport the UN chief proceeded to his place of residence at the Hotel InterContinental.
“Honorable UN Secretary General is visiting Bangladesh as part of his Ramadan solidarity visit,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam told reporters at the ministry earlier today.
He said, during the visit, the UN’s cooperation with Bangladesh on the Rohingya crisis and their resolutions, as well as other global and regional important issues, are expected to be discussed.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Hossain and High Representative of the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters Dr Khalilur Rahman will call on Guterres at the hotel at 9:00 am.
Later, the UN chief will meet Chief Adviser Dr Yunus at the Chief Adviser’s Office at 10:00 am.
Following the meeting, Guterres will travel to Cox’s Bazar on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines commercial flight to visit the Rohingya camps.
Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam will receive him upon his arrival at Cox’s Bazar Airport.
In Cox’s Bazar, Chief Adviser Professor Yunus will join Guterres later in the day for an Iftar with around one lakh Rohingyas.
The two leaders are expected to interact with Rohingyas, imams and community leaders during the event.
Before the Iftar, the Secretary-General will visit several facilities at the camps, including the Watch Tower, Learning Centre, Multi-purpose Service Centre, and a jute production site.
He is also likely to engage with Rohingya youth and children.
Guterres is scheduled to return to Dhaka the same evening and stay at the InterContinental Hotel.
On Saturday, the UN Secretary-General will visit the UN Common Premises in Dhaka, where he will raise the UN official flag, observe a photo exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-UN relations, and attend a meeting with UN staffs.
In the afternoon, he will join a roundtable discussion on Bangladesh’s reform process at the InterContinental Hotel.
He is also expected to participate in a dialogue with youth and meet with members of civil society.
Later, Guterres is likely to address a joint media briefing alongside Foreign Affairs Adviser Hossain at the hotel.
Chief Adviser Dr Yunus will host an Iftar and dinner in honour of the UN chief on the same day.
On Sunday, Guterres will depart Dhaka at 9:55 am by an Emirates flight, with Dr Khalilur Rahman present at the airport to see him off.
The visit is expected to highlight Bangladesh’s growing diplomatic stature and the pressing challenges like Rohingya issue the country faces on the global stage.
Guterres, in a recent letter to Yunus, expressed his hope that an upcoming high-level conference on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar will renew global focus and help develop broader solutions for their plight.
“The United Nations will continue to mobilize the international community to support Bangladesh as a host to the Rohingya,” Guterres said.
The UN chief said he has requested his senior managers to provide guidance to the United Nations country teams in Bangladesh and Myanmar on how they can maximize humanitarian aid and livelihood support to communities in Rakhine.
