Photo: Collected
The government has described Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus' participation at the 79th United Nations General Assembly as "very successful, historic and a very positive milestone."
"It is a very successful and historic visit. I would say it was a very positive milestone for Bangladesh," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters at a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy on Monday.
Deputy Press Secretaries Apurba Jahangir and Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were also present.
In his brief four-day stay in New York, Alam said there were around 50 meetings with at least 12 with top global leaders including US President Joe Biden.
Asked whether the six reform commissions will start working from October 1, the Press Secretary said the Council of Advisers headed by the Chief Adviser wants to sit with the political parties quickly before the commissions start working on the reforms.
Alam said the six commissions were scheduled to work from October 1 but a decision came for another phase of consultation with the political leaders to seek their opinions.
Since there are six heads of these commissions, work has been started to some extent, he added.
"He (Prof Yunus) was treated like a 'rockstar' in New York. At the UN Headquarters, he could barely move before a top leader would spread their arms and hug him," Alam said.
At the social circle, he was the top celebrity and he didn't miss a single moment to talk about the student-led revolution and its goals.
Explaining why it was a milestone and historic visit, the Press Secretary referred to Bangladesh leaders’ participation at the UNGA over the last four decades when very few meetings with some regional leaders were seen.
This time, he added, the Chief Adviser’s schedule was packed with a series of high-level meetings.
The Press Secretary said all the global leaders he met at the UNGA extended their full support for the interim government and they are willing to work with the government.
He said the world leaders support reforms planned in Bangladesh and they know it will take time to carry out massive reforms.
Responding to a question, the Press Secretary said no one wanted to know the timeframe as they know it will take time considering the reforms plans.
Alam said the people of Bangladesh will decide after the reforms are done.
The Chief Adviser arrived in Dhaka early Sunday, concluding a productive visit marked by a series of high-level meetings with global leaders.
During his four-day stay in New York, Prof Yunus participated in 50 major events on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Alam said the chief adviser attended the highest 16 events on September 26.
The Chief Adviser has called upon the international community to engage with the "new Bangladesh", which aims to realise freedom and democracy for everyone.
The call came from Yunus' address to the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), his first since a student-led upsurge brought him at the helm of Bangladesh's interim government last month.
Speaking in Bangla, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said youths in Bangladesh have shown that upholding freedom, dignity, and rights of people regardless of distinction and status cannot just remain aspirational. "It is just what everyone deserves."
Prof Yunus invited all countries across the world to deepen their engagement with Bangladesh in its quest for democracy, the rule of law, equality, and prosperity.
"This was an epoch-making speech," said the Press Secretary, adding that the speech covered global and regional issues apart from Bangladesh issues.
Messenger/Fameema
