Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually address the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday, during which she highlight a numbr of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Rohingya crisis and climate change.

"The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver her pre-recorded country statement at the UNGA general debate in the UN Headquarters approximately at 10 a.m. New York time (8 p.m. Bangladesh time) tomorrow," The Daily Star newspaper quoted Hasina's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim as saying here late Friday.

Hasina will deliver the speech in Bengali like in the past, following in the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Karim added.

Bangabandhu made history by delivering the first Bengali speech at the 29th UNGA on September 25, 1974.

At a virtual press briefing earlier this week, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had said that the Prime Minister will highlight matters related to the global COVID-19 situation, equal distribution of potential vaccine and pandemic impact on migrant workers and remittance, as well as climate issues as Bangladesh is the current chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). The Daily Star reported.

Momen said that Hasina will urge the international community to continue their stand and efforts in resolving the protracted Rohingya issue in line with her four-point proposal that she had placed before the 74th UNGA last year regarding a durable solution of the crisis.

Besides, he said, the premier will also highlight Bangladesh's successes in SDG implementation, establishing women empowerment and rights, poverty elevation, anti-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking activities, economic advancement, sustainable democracy and good governance and maintenance of world peace.
(IANS)