CA Yunus leaves New York for home

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus left New York on Saturday to arrive home, wrapping up his four-day USA visit to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and other high-level side events.

“A commercial flight of the Qatar Airways carrying the chief adviser and his entourages departed from the JKF International Airport, New York, at 9:30 pm (NY Time) on Friday,” CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said.

Prof Yunus is expected to arrive at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 2:15 a.m. (BD Time) on 29 September.

Alam said the chief adviser joined 40 high-level meetings with heads of government of 12 countries, including US President Joe Biden, and heads of different international organisations.

“We think it was a big step for Bangladesh to advance its economic and diplomatic relations and partnership with world,” he said.

The chief adviser arrived in New York on September 23 to attend the 79th UNGA session.

He held a bilateral meeting with US President Joseph R Biden on Tuesday (September 24) apart from addressing the UNGA session on Friday (September 27).

Prof Yunus also joined bilateral talks with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma and Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof, among others.

Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, among others, called on the chief adviser during his stay in New York.

Dr Yunus also joined several high-level events in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA session.