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UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon for a four-day visit to Bangladesh, following an invitation from Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. His Emirates flight (EK-586) landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 4:26 pm, where Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain greeted him. Two children welcomed Guterres with flower bouquets, according to BSS reports.
The UN chief was then escorted to his residence at the InterContinental Dhaka. The visit is part of his Ramadan solidarity mission, as explained by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam. During his stay, discussions will focus on the UN’s cooperation with Bangladesh on the Rohingya crisis and other critical global and regional issues.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid and the High Representative of the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issues and Priority Matters Khalilur Rahman will meet Guterres at the hotel at 9 am. Guterres will also meet Prof Yunus at the Chief Adviser’s Office at 10 am. Following these meetings, the UN Secretary-General will travel to Cox’s Bazar on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight to visit the Rohingya camps, where he will be welcomed by Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam.
In Cox’s Bazar, Guterres will join the Chief Adviser for an Iftar with approximately one lakh Rohingyas, engaging with the community and local leaders. Before the Iftar, he will visit several camp facilities, including the watchtower, learning centre, multi-purpose service centre, and a jute production site. He is expected to meet with Rohingya youth and children as well.
Later that evening, Guterres will return to Dhaka and stay at the InterContinental Dhaka. On Saturday, he will visit the UN Common Premises in Dhaka, where he will raise the UN flag, attend a photo exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh-UN relations, and meet with UN staff. In the afternoon, he will participate in a roundtable discussion on Bangladesh’s reform process and engage in a dialogue with youth and civil society members. A joint media briefing with Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid is also scheduled, followed by an Iftar and dinner hosted by Chief Adviser Yunus in his honor.
Guterres is set to depart Dhaka on Sunday at 9:55 am, with Khalilur Rahman present to bid him farewell. This visit underscores Bangladesh’s increasing diplomatic influence and highlights the ongoing challenges, such as the Rohingya issue, that the country faces on the international stage.
In a recent letter to Yunus, Guterres expressed hope that an upcoming high-level conference on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar would help renew global attention on their plight and foster broader solutions. He also reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh as a host for the Rohingya and maximizing humanitarian aid and livelihood support to communities in Rakhine.
