United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday for a packed two-day schedule, including meetings with top officials and a visit to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, before his departure on Sunday morning.
Upon his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the afternoon via an Emirates Airlines flight, Guterres was received by Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, according to Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.
On Friday morning, Guterres will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at his office. He will also hold separate discussions with Adviser Hossain Touhid Hossain and High Representative on Rohingya Issues Dr Khalilur Rahman at a city hotel.
Later in the day, the UN chief and Chief Adviser Yunus will travel to Cox’s Bazar to visit the Rohingya refugee camps. Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam Bir Protik will receive them at Cox’s Bazar International Airport around noon.
Their visit will include a briefing at the watchtower, where representatives from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), and UN agencies such as IOM and UNHCR will provide an overview of the camps and the Myanmar border situation. The World Bank will also present insights into infrastructure and human capital investment among the refugees, emphasizing disaster mitigation and integrated service delivery.
As part of their engagement, Guterres and Yunus will join an iftar meal with members of the Rohingya community and Bangladeshi hosts, acknowledging Bangladesh’s generosity in sheltering nearly one million refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar. Officials expect around 100,000 Rohingya to participate in the gathering.
The delegation is scheduled to return to Dhaka around 8:40 p.m. on Friday.
On Saturday, Guterres will visit the newly established UN common premises and view a photo exhibition commemorating Bangladesh’s 50th anniversary. Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan and Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin are expected to accompany him.
He will then meet with the UN Country Team and staff members, participate in a roundtable discussion on reforms, and engage in a separate dialogue with Bangladeshi youth. Additionally, the UN chief will attend a civil society meeting moderated by Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.
Before the end of his visit, Guterres and Foreign Affairs Adviser Hossain are expected to hold a joint media briefing. He will then join an iftar and early dinner hosted by Chief Adviser Yunus.
The UN Secretary-General is set to depart Dhaka on Sunday morning, with High Representative Khalilur Rahman seeing him off at the airport. This marks Guterres’ second visit to Bangladesh, reinforcing the UN’s continued commitment to the country and the Rohingya crisis.
