NEW YORK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also ruling Awami League president, reached here on Monday night (Bangladesh local time) to join in the 69th United Nations General Assembly.

A flight of Emirates EK-585 landed at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York at 10:17am (New York time) on Monday.

Bangladesh ambassador to the US Mohammad Ziauddin and Bangladesh ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Dr Abdul Momen received the prime minister at the JFK International Airport.

Earlier on Sunday night, a flight of Emirates EK-585, carrying the prime minister and members of her 180-member entourage, took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:45pm.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Chief Whip ASM Firoz and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena saw off the premier at the airport.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Food Minister Advocate Qamrul Islam, PM's Advisor on Political Affairs HT Imam, PM's Advisor on Economic Affairs Dr Mashiur Rahman, PM's Advisor on Media Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, among others, accompanied her.

The premier, in her visit, will put importance in ensuring the coordination between her initiatives of making Bangladesh a developed country by 2041 with the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda.

She will be taken to Hotel Grand Hyatt New York.

However, this year’s UNGA theme will be ‘Delivering on and ‘Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda’ while it was likely to adopt the UN's Post Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as the MDG timeframe is set to expire next year.

Since Bangladesh has shown its success in implementing the Millennium Development Goals, it has become a role model to the other nations.

According to the sources, Bangladesh’s role in the new agenda will get importance in the international forum.

However, the current situations in Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Ukraine will also be discussed in the assembly.

The prime minister is scheduled to deliver her speech on September 27 at the UNGA on behalf of Bangladesh.

In her speech, the PM is expected to uphold her ‘Vision 2021’ to make Bangladesh a middle income country by this time as well as to materialize her dream to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041.

The premier's entourage would also include lawmakers, leaders of different political parties, senior officials, eminent social activists, journalists and business leaders.

The prime minister, on September 23, will attend the inaugural session of the Climate Conference and deliver her speech at the ‘National Action and Ambition Announcement’ session of the conference.

She will join a reception to be hosted by US president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at Waldorf Astoria the same day.

Sheikh Hasina will attend the opening session of the UN assembly on September 24 and join a reception to be hosted by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

The Bangladesh premier will take part in a high-level discussion of the Global Education First Initiative the same day.

On September 25, Sheikh Hasina is expected to join a luncheon to be hosted by American Chamber and American Business Council at Grand Hyatt Hotel.

She will join a discussion of the Commonwealth heads of the government the same day.

The prime minister will attend a summit on ‘The International Peacekeeping Operation’ at the UN Headquarters on September 26.

She will join a function marking the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh's UN membership the same day.

Sheikh Hasina will address a press conference at Bangladesh's Permanent Mission on September 26.

On September 27, she will attend the Global Citizens' Festival at Great Lawn at Central Park.

On the sidelines of the UNGA, the Bangladesh PM will hold a meeting with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the day.

She is expected to join a reception to be accorded by the expatriates Bangladeshis on September 27.

She will also meet Norwegian premier Erna Solberg, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhal V Myasnikovich, Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hmad Al-Thani and Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala.

After leaving New York on September 29, the premier will come to London on a two-day visit from September 30.

She is scheduled to return home in the morning on October 2.

BDST: 2025 HRS, SEP 22, 2014