Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus returned to Dhaka on Thursday morning, after completing his nine-day visit to the United States for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Yunus arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before 9am (Dhaka time), marking the end of his extensive diplomatic engagements at the UN.
Yunus departed New York on Tuesday night (US time) aboard an Emirates Airlines flight at 11:10pm, along with a small delegation. Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, were present at John F. Kennedy International Airport to bid farewell to Yunus, according to Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.
During his visit, Yunus attended key events at the UNGA, including the high-level conference on the “Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities” held on Tuesday. He delivered his address at the UNGA on September 26, highlighting pressing global issues and meeting with world leaders on the sidelines.
In his speech, Yunus warned that “extreme nationalism, geopolitics that thrive on the suffering of others, and indifference to human pain are destroying the progress humanity has built through decades of struggle.” He particularly emphasized the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, reiterating the urgent need for a two-state solution.
Yunus also outlined three goals for a sustainable future: zero carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, and zero unemployment, urging the world to adopt the vision of a “three-zero world.”
The Chief Adviser’s delegation included prominent figures such as BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP leader Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syeed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, Jamaat’s US spokesperson Mohammad Nakibur Rahman, National Citizen Party member secretary Akhter Hossen, and first senior joint member secretary Dr Tasnim Jara.
