Hasina
Grab investment opportunities in Bangladesh, PM Hasina to global investors
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the investors from across the world to invest in Bangladesh, making the best use of the opportunities the government is offering for foreign investment.
“I believe investors will be able to learn more about the potential of different investment sectors in Bangladesh through this conference. New markets will particularly be created for Bangladeshi products, and Bangladesh will be able to attract the desired investment,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the inaugural session of the two- day International Investment Summit 2021 organised by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel to brand new Bangladesh among investors from around the world.
READ: Ensure electricity for all remote villagers: Hasina
She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Hasina said the government has identified 11 potential investment sectors, including infrastructure, capital markets, financial services, information technology, electronics manufacturing, leather, automotive and light engineering, agro-products and food processing, healthcare and medicine, jute textiles, and blue economy.
The Prime Minister mentioned that Awami League got people’s verdict for three consecutive times since 2008.
She said the importance of Bangladesh in terms of political stability, creation of a skilled workforce, liberal investment policy through attractive incentives, and geographical position between the huge markets of South and Southeast Asia is increasing day by day. “More than 60 percent of foreign direct investment is coming through reinvestment.”
Hasina said the government has formulated sector-wise industrial development policies along with National Industrial Policy, passed the Labor (Amendment) Act, 2018, considering environmental protection in taking up every project, automating bond management for the growth of the export-oriented industry.
The Prime Minister also said the government has built 39 high-tech parks and are building 100 economic zones in phases. “We’ve received investment proposals of US$27.07 billion in the economic zones.”
She mentioned that the government is building 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City' in Mirsarai, Sonagazi, and Sitakunda upazilas while the Japanese Economic Zone in Araihazar has already counted investment proposals US$1 billion.
Currently, about US$30 billion investment proposal is awaiting implementation in 79 PPP projects, she said, adding that the government has enacted the ‘Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Act, 2016’ and established the Investment Development Authority.
Hasina said the government has been working since 2019 to provide 154 investment services of 35 companies online through One-Stop Service.“We prioritize economic diplomacy and work towards concluding Bilateral and Regional Preferential Trade Agreements, Free Trade Agreements, and Integrated Economic Partnership Agreements. We signed a PTA with Bhutan.”
She said Bangladesh is getting unilateral duty-free export facilities to 38 countries of the world and Avoidance of Double Taxation agreements are in force with 36 countries. “We’re working closely with various trade alliances.”
Hasina went on saying, “We’re preparing to reap maximum benefits from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by creating a skilled workforce with state-of-the-art technology. We aim to export US$5 billion worth of IT products by 2025.”
She also mentioned Bangladesh has 'Bangabandhu Satellite-1' in space and the construction work of the Padma bridge is nearing completion with its own funds.
READ: Hasina's strong solidarity message to Erdogan elevated ties: Envoy
Hasina also said construction of Metrorail and Expressway in Dhaka and third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Regional Airport at Syedpur, another international airport in Cox's Bazar, Karnaphuli Tunnel in Chattogram, and deep seaport at Matarbari and Payra are going on in full swing. “We’ve given an incentive of Tk 187,000 crore to counter the externalities of the Corona pandemic.”
Hasina said Bangladesh has emerged from a least developed to a developing country. The size of its economy is now US$411 billion, foreign exchange reserves are US$48 billion, per capita income is US$2,554.
“We have adopted the second perspective plan for the implementation of Vision-2041. We are also implementing 'Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100',” she added.
Prime minister's advisor Salman Fazlur Rahman MP, Saudi Arabia's minister for transport and logistics minister Engineer Saleh Nasser A Al-Jasser and FBCCI president Md Jashim Uddin and BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam also spoke at the programme.
Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh ITO Naoki read out the written message of Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs HONDA Taro.
A Thematic video titled ‘Bangladesh: Discover limitless Opportunities’ was screened at the programme.
The Prime Minister also unveiled the publication of the Summit.
The summit will have 14 separate sessions, of which 11 will be dedicated to different sectors that include the blue economy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics, capital market, power and energy, the fourth industrial revolution, financial services, agribusiness, leather and leather goods, apparel, electrical and electronics manufacturing.
Ensure electricity for all remote villagers: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned to immediately ensure electricity supply for those people who still remain out of power connectivity in remote areas of the country.
“The Prime Minister has issued a directive to bring the families living in char and remote areas under the electricity facility fast and asked all the concerned to take new projects, if necessary,” said PMO Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah on Friday.
The government has so far been able to bring 99.75 percent of the country’s people under the electricity network by providing power from the national grid, and installing solar power systems in char and remote areas.
Read: It's US politics to keep countries under pressure in the name of democracy: FM
Tofazzel Hossain said only 47 percent people were under the electricity networks in 2009.
Sheikh Hasina gave the directive as it came to her notice that several thousands of families in remote char areas of Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur district still do not have access to electricity.
Following the Prime Minister’s directive, necessary works have started to bring the people residing in char and remote areas under the power facility as soon as possible, according to the officials concerned.
“No house or family will be in the dark,” the PMO secretary quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
According to Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation (PDBF), 12,170 solar home systems are expected to be set up at Rangpur Sadar and Gangachara upazilas in Rangpur district and Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district under a project titled ‘Bangladesher Bidyut Bihin Prottonto Anchal Ebong Char Elakay Souro Shoktir Unnoyon’.
But PDBF has been able to install 9,845 solar panel systems there, the official sources said.
In June last, some 712 families, out of 4,504, were provided with home solar systems in Gangachara following payment, submission of NID cards, and completion of other formalities, though PDBF was then unable to distribute solar systems among the 90 listed families as the project expired on June 30 last.
Read: Growing violence in Rohingya camps can spread beyond borders, PM warns ASEM summit
As the matter came to the notice of the Prime Minister recently, she directed the authorities concerned to instantly take a special project and install solar home systems in the houses of those 90 listed families.
At the time, Hasina also directed the authorities concerned to take measures to bring other families, who are out of the purview of the power facilities, to bring under electricity connectivity soon.
As per her directives, the authorities started work to bring the rest 3,708 families of Gangachara Upazila under the power facility.
"We’re working in a coordinated manner with Palli Bidyut to bring 3,708 families in the char areas of Gangachara upazila of Rangpur under electricity following the directives of the PM,” said PDBF Managing Director Muhammad Maududur Rashid Safdar.
“Electricity will be supplied by installing solar home panel systems in the remote areas where power lines couldn’t be set up,” he said.
Some 62 lakh home solar panels have been installed so far to supply electricity to remote areas. Some 263 Megawatts (MW) of electricity are being generated through these solar panels, and two crore people are enjoying the electricity facilities with these solar panels at a nominal price, according to the Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Ministry.
In Bangladesh, the overall power generation capacity, including captive and renewable energy is 25,235 MW, which was only 4,942 MW in 2009.
The government has allocated Tk 28,056 crore for the power sector in the 2021-22 fiscal year, but the allocation was only Tk 2,677 crore in 2009.
South-South cooperation: Hasina for setting up ‘Knowledge Centre’ in Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday sought international support for setting up a ‘South-South Knowledge and Innovation Centre’ in Bangladesh to act as a platform of technological solutions to development challenges in the Global South.
“In 2019, Bangladesh offered to set up a ‘South-South Knowledge and Innovation Centre’. It would ideally serve as a platform for co-creating technological solutions to development challenges in the South. I urge the UN, G20 and OECD to consider investing in such forward-looking proposals,” she said.
The Prime Minister made the call while addressing the 4th Edition of Paris Peace Forum at Grande Halle de la Villette here.
READ: Hasina urges UNESCO to declare online and remote learning as public good
“On the home front, as Bangladesh graduates from the LDC status, we aim to work on setting up our own platform for international economic and technical cooperation. The platform will help coordinate and expand the work of our value-based diplomacy, and the multiple ways it contributes to international development, peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said many developed countries still fall behind their internationally agreed development commitments. “For them (developed countries), supporting South-South development cooperation programmes can be one way of realizing their own commitments,” she said.
Hasina said Bangladesh has always taken up the cause of the world’s least developed countries. “We’re now serving as the voice of climate vulnerable countries. Our commitment to the Global South is a long-standing and proven one,” she added.
The PM noted that the idea of South-South cooperation is for more than four decades. It has found its place in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. South-South cooperation initiatives have been on the rise in recent years. Many of them stand out for their creative development solutions, she said.
READ: Hasina invites French entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh
But South-South cooperation tends to take a backseat in international development discourse. It has been hard to change the traditional thinking and narratives around international development cooperation, she said.
“As such, many potential South-South cooperation projects remain under-funded. The idea of triangular cooperation has not lived up to its potential. This gap needs to be addressed. There’re some compelling reasons for that,” the PM added.
Hasina said a good number of homegrown development solutions are already available in the Global South. With additional financing, many of these solutions can be implemented and scaled up across other developing countries. “This can help avoid re-invent the solution in the name of technical assistance,” she said.
Hasina said there are better chances for South-South cooperation to respond directly to national development priorities. The financing and technological support of the North can help enhance the transparency and cost-effectiveness of South-South cooperation programmes, she added.
“We now witness an uneven response to globalization around the world. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen the international governance system failing millions of people in the Global South. The huge gap in access to vaccines and treatments is only too telling,” she noted.
The Prime Minister said a number of developing countries like Bangladesh have the capacity to ensure vaccine equity and quality. “We need support with technical know-how or TRIPS waiver to go into large-scale vaccine production for sharing vaccines with the rest of the world,” Hasina said.
“From Bangladesh, we’ve been reaching out to a number of our friendly countries with emergency medical supplies and other provisions during the pandemic. In one case, we sent out our trained workforce to administer the vaccines,” she said.
She said Bangladesh has been working on sharing its own development experience with other countries for many years now.
“Our achievements in agriculture, community healthcare, non-formal education, reproductive health, disaster management and micro-finance have reached out in other parts of the world. Building on our work in the last twenty years, we’ve offered to engage in humanitarian assistance for the brotherly Afghan people under UN initiatives,” the PM said.
“We’ve also been contributing to human resource development over the years for some of our neighbouring countries,” Hasina said.
With UNDP’s support, Bangladesh’s work on community-level digital services and public service innovations is being shared with a number of countries in the Global South. “Some of our climate adaptation methods are gaining increased attention in the North,” she said.
Secret documents on Bangabandhu to be nice resources for researchers: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the publication of “Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation, Bangladesh: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be excellent resources for researchers on Bangladesh’s politics and history as these unveiled how the Pakistani government snooped on Bangabandhu and his family.
“The real and complete history of the country from Language Movement to Independence will be found here; people across the globe will get ideas about the sacrifice and struggle of Bangabandhu,” she said.
Hasina said this at the international launching ceremony of the two publications titled “Secret Documents” and “Mujib & Introduction”. The Secret Documents is a collection of the Intelligence Branch Reports on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangladesh during the Pakistani period.
The Prime Minister unveiled the cover of the two publications at Claridge’s Hotel in London.
Talking about the newly-published volumes of secret documents, she said these volumes will provide useful insight for political leaders across nations and generations.
Read:Hasina for changing traditional lens of Bangladesh-UK relations
Mentioning that seven volumes of the publication being released, Hasina said these are documents and records kept by the Pakistan Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since Pakistan had been created.
Stating that the Pakistan Intelligence Branch official followed his every movement and activity, the Prime Minister said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib served in prison for 3,053 days during the 24 years of Pakistan.
She also said it was not only Bangabandhu who was under watch, but also her mother Bangamata, Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, was under surveillance. “She had been under watch especially after the announcement of Six-Point Demand in 1966,” Hasina added.
She said these Secret Documents are not just a record of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s political struggle, rather these are historical accounts of how an independent nation was born. These documents are of critical importance for Bangladesh’s national history, she added.
Read:World must share responsibility of climate migrants: Hasina
Hasina said all these documents show how Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s political career took shape over the years and also showcase the immense sufferings and sacrifices of the Father of the Nation. These are narratives of the making of a national leader, a Statesman and an international political figure, she said.
The Prime Minister said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was targeted from the early days of his political life by those who opposed the values and principles he stood for. The same forces were responsible for the brutal end to his life, along with most of his family members, in August 1975, she added.
Hasina, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, conveyed thanks to Taylor & Francis Group for coming forward to partner with Hakkani Publishers of Bangladesh on these publications.
The Prime Minister said, “We renew our pledge to do justice to his struggles by realising his dream of building a ‘Sonar Bangla’.
Hasina also inaugurated an art exhibition titled ‘Bangabandhu and Britain: A Centenary Collection’.
PM’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana and her daughter Saima Wazed were present.
Hasina voice of the vulnerable: BBC
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been named as one of the five influential dealmakers at COP26 being held at Glasgow, according to a BBC report that described the Bangladesh leader as “voice of the vulnerable”.
The four other influential dealmakers who will have a major impact on the summit's success or failure are China's climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua, Saudi Arabia's Ayman Shasly, UK minister Alok Sharma, Spain's minister for ecological transition Teresa Ribera.
Hasina spoke on behalf of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a grouping of the 48 among the countries most threatened by climate change.
She's an experienced and straight-talking politician, who will bring the lived experience of climate change to the COP, said the BBC report headlined “Climate change: Five dealmakers who will influence the outcome at COP26.”
Just last year, the report said, about one-quarter of Bangladesh was underwater as floods threatened a million homes.
"People like Prime Minister Hasina put a human face on climate change and can help world leaders understand what climate change already looks like," said Dr Jen Allan, an expert in international relations from Cardiff University.
Despite the fact that they are among the poorest nations, the Climate Vulnerable and the Least Developed Countries group have a strong track record in the negotiations.
These countries "punch above their economic weight, so to speak", says Dr Allan.
"Because they are a strong moral voice, and because decisions are taken by consensus, they have been able to get a good deal of progressive decisions through the UN machinery."
According to Quamrul Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi negotiator, who works as part of Sheikh Hasina's team, the vulnerable nations are coming to Glasgow with a clear set of goals.
"There are over one billion people now on the hook of adverse climate impacts," he told BBC. "We want to get them off the hook by getting the richest countries to steeply cut back emissions, to fix the outstanding Paris rules, to ramp up climate finance and to address loss and damage.”
While Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough and world leaders will attract most of the media attention at COP26, the real work of getting 197 countries to commit to changes will fall to lesser-known diplomats and ministers - the negotiators, said BBC.
Their complex role requires a sharp mind, a deep reserve of tact and incredible endurance. Talks often go through the night and rarely finish on time.
Hasina leaves Glasgow for London
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday left Glasgow for London after attending the COP26 and other events in Scotland.
A VVIP aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage departed the Glasgow International Airport at 12:50 pm (local time).
The flight is scheduled to land at Heathrow International Airport, London at 13:30pm (local time). Bangladeshi High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem will receive the Prime Minister.
Hasina will stay in London till November 9 before leaving for Paris as part of her two-week visit to the United Kingdom and France.
READ: World must share responsibility of climate migrants: Hasina
During her stay in London, the Prime Minister will attend a summit titled “Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Sustainable Growth Partnerships” (Nov 4), inaugurate an art exhibition titled “Bangabandhu and Britain: A Centenary Collection” and unveil the covers of two books titled “Secret Documents’ (Vol i-ix) and “Mujib & Introduction”.
Besides, Sheikh Hasina will attend Westminster’s programme and a civic reception to be accorded to her by the Bangladeshi community, inaugurate the newly-extended part of Bangladesh High Commission Bhaban and Bangabandhu Lounge there.
British Parliament Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and delegation of Taylor & Framcis will make courtesy calls on the Bangladesh Prime Minister in London.
The Prime Minister will stay in Paris from November 09 to November 13.
During her stay in Paris, Sheikh Hasina will hand over ‘Unesco-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy,’ deliver the keynote speech as special guest in the inaugural session of the 75th founding anniversary of Unesco, and attend Paris Peace Forum.
Besides, she will have meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, French Prime Minister Jean Castex and French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly.
Sheikh Hasina will receive an official reception in the French Senate and hold a meeting with a team of French senators headed by the President of Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group senator Mathieu Damaud.
A delegation of French business body MEDEF, CEO of Airbus Guillaume Faury, President of Dassault Aviation Eric Trappier and President of Thales Patrice Caine will meet the Bangladesh Prime Minister there.
READ: Effective climate plans not possible without funds: Hasina
Sheikh Hasina will also attend a civic reception to be accorded to her by the Bangladesh Community in France.
The Prime Minister left Dhaka for Scotland on October 31 and is expected to return home on November 14 from Paris.
Hasina urges expatriates to invest more in Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the expatriate Bangladeshis all over the world to invest more in Bangladesh as investment opportunities for them have increased in all sectors.
“We’ll find out the barriers, if any, in this regard and I assure you all of solving those problems for your convenience to invest, which will be beneficial for all,” she said in a civic reception accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshis living in Scotland on Monday.
The Prime Minister joined the programme virtually from her place of residence here.
Hasina said the present Awami league government is very much a pro-people one as it always thinks about the development of the country and the welfare of its people.
She mentioned that the government has already introduced two percent incentives for the expatriate Bangladeshis for sending money back home from abroad through a proper channel. “No one demanded for that, even no one thought about that, I myself introduced this incentive,” Hasina said.
She also mentioned that the government has established a bank for the expatriate Bangladeshis.
Regarding allegations made by some expatriates that they are facing problems in investing in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said she doesn't know what kind of problems the expatriates are facing while investing in Bangladesh.
Hasina also said the government has already given necessary directives to the Bangladesh Development and Investment Authority (BIDA) to remove all bottlenecks for investments. “There’ll be a roadshow in London where I’ll ask BIDA to look into the matter,” she said.
Briefly describing the massive development activities of the government carried out by the present Awami League government in the last 12 years, Hasina said the government is offering special facilities for the expatriates to invest in Bangladesh. But she requested them to follow the laws of the land while investing in Bangladesh as there’re rules and regulations for investment across the globe. “I hope that you’ll do that,” she said.
There are investment and premium bonds in Bangladesh and the expatriates can invest availing of that advantage, the Prime Minister said, adding that the government is setting up some 100 economic zones and the expatriates can invest there, too.
READ: Bangladesh cancelled 10 coal-based power plants for climate’s sake: Hasina
Referring to a government survey where it showed that only 10 upazilas out of 495 have ultra-poor people in the country, Hasina said the government is finding out why they are still in this bad shape. “I’ve already given directives to make a plan for removing this situation. Inshallah, we’ll be able to change this situation within a couple of months. So, there’ll be no ultra-poor in the country,” she said.
Hasina at COP26, gets warm welcome from Guterres, Boris
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday welcomed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the COP26 in Glasgow.
Bangladesh Awami League shared the photos of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with the UN chief and the British Prime Minister on its verified Facebook page.
Photos of British Prime Minister Borish Jonson and UN chief giving elbow bumps with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina separately, as posted by Awami League web team on the verified page of the party, went viral on social media.
The UK is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow that will continue till November 12.
Bangladesh cancelled 10 coal-based power plants for climate’s sake: Hasina
Glasgow (Scotland), Nov 1 (UNB) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said Bangladesh has cancelled 10 coal-based power plants involving 12 billion dollars of foreign investment, just to supplement its efforts against the adverse impacts of climate change.
“We’ve cancelled 10 coal-based power plants worth 12 billion dollars of foreign investment,” she said while addressing the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
READ: Electricity for all: Hasina inaugurates five power plants
She also put forward four points to the world leaders to fight climate change.
In the first point, Hasina said, the major emitters must submit ambitious NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), and implement those.
“Second,” she said, “The developed countries should fulfill their commitments of providing 100 billion dollars annually with a 50:50 balance between adaptation and mitigation.”
Third, the Prime Minister said, the developed countries should disseminate clean and green technology at affordable costs to the most vulnerable countries. “The development needs of the CVF countries also need to be considered.”
In her fourth point, Hasina said the issue of loss and damage must be addressed, including global sharing of responsibility for climate migrants displaced by sea-level rise, salinity increase, river erosion, floods, and draughts.
The Prime Minister said the government has recently submitted an ambitious and updated NDC to UNFCCC. “Bangladesh has one of the world’s most extensive domestic solar energy programs. We hope to have 40 percent of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2041.”
She said, “We’re going to implement the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’- a journey from climate vulnerability to resilience to climate prosperity.”
Hasina said Bangladesh is trying to address the challenge of climate impacts because of 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals or Rohingyas.
READ: Hasina inaugurates five power plants
She said Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, though it contributes less than 0.47 percent of global emissions.
Hasina mentioned that the government has established the “Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund” in 2009 to address this challenge. “We’ve doubled climate-related expenses in the last seven years. Currently, we’re preparing the National Adaptation Plan.”
As the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and V20, Bangladesh is promoting the interests of the 48 climate-vulnerable countries, she said.
“We’re also sharing best practices and adaptation knowledge regionally through the South Asia Office of the Global Center of Adaptation’s Dhaka,” she added.
On behalf of the CVF, Hasina said, Bangladesh is pursuing to establish a Climate Emergency Pact.
PM Hasina off to Europe to join COP26, other events
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka on Sunday morning for the United Kingdom and France on a two-week visit to attend the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and other events.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9.27am.
The flight is scheduled to land at Glasgow International Airport in Scotland at 2:45pm (local time). Bangladeshi High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem will receive the Prime Minister.
During the visit, Hasina will also attend the Bangladesh Investment Summit and hand over ‘Unesco-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy’.
Besides, she will hold bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron apart from other heads of state and government.
Read: Bangladesh’s UNGA participation shows its stronger presence in multilateral forum: Officials
The Prime Minister will also hold a meeting with UK's Prince Charles during her visit.
On November 1, Hasina will address the key segment of the COP26 apart from joining the opening ceremony.
The same day, the Prime Minister will attend a joint meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)-Commonwealth High Level Panel Discussion on Climate Prosperity Partnership and then another meeting titled “Action and Solidarity-the critical decade” at the invitation of her British counterpart Boris Johnson.
She will have a meeting with Commonwealth secretary general Particia Scotland, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Bill Gates.
Hasina will attend a civic reception virtually arranged by the Bangladeshi Community living in Scotland.
On November 2, the Prime Minister will attend meetings titled “Women and Climate Change” and “Forging a CVF COP 26 Climate Emergency Pact”.
She will hold a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and meetings with UK’s Prince Charles, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, speaker of Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone.
Later, she will address “A Bangladesh Vision for Global Climate Prosperity”.
Also read: PM’s France visit to elevate Dhaka-Paris ties: FM
On November 3, she will leave Scotland for London by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.
On the same day, she will go to Westminster where Rushanara Ali MP and Lord Gadhia will welcome her. She will have a courtesy call with British Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
On November 4, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the “Bangladesh Investment Summit 2021: Building Sustainable Growth Partnerships”.
She will unveil the cover of two publications titled ‘Secret Documents’ (Vol i-ix) and ‘Mujib & Introduction’ and inaugurate an art exhibition titled “Bangabandhu and Britain: A Centenary Collection”.
On November 7, she will inaugurate the newly-expanded portion of Bangladesh High Commission and Bangabandhu Lounge there.
She will also attend a civic reception to be accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates living in the UK.
On November 9, she will leave London for Paris in the morning by a VVIP flight of Biman.
She will have a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at Elysee Palace and witness the signing of three deeds, and attend a joint press conference before joining lunch to be hosted by the French President. She will be given guard of honour there.
Also read: Bangladesh to play a significant role at COP26: FM Momen
The Prime Minister will also have a bilateral meeting with French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
On November 10, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Dassault Aviation president Eric Trappier and Thales president Patrice Caine will meet her at her place.
She will have a meeting with a delegation of French business organisation MEDEF. French Minister Florence Parly will also meet her.
Later in the afternoon, she will visit the French Senate where she will receive official reception during the ongoing Senate Session.
On November 11, Sheikh Hasina will attend the Paris Peace Forum.
Later, she will go to attend the “Unesco-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy” awarding ceremony at the Unesco Headquarters.
From there she will go to Elysee Palace to attend the dinner to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in honour of her.
On November 12, Sheikh Hasina will go to the Paris Peace Forum and attend a high-level panel discussion on South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
Later, she will go to the Unesco Headquarters to attend the inaugural session of the 75th Founding anniversary of Unesco where she will deliver her speech.
She will participate in the dinner to be hosted by Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay in honour of heads of government and state.
On November 13, Sheikh Hasina will attend a civic reception to be accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshis living there.
In the afternoon, she will depart De Gaulle International Airport by a VVIP flight of Biman and land at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 10 am (local time) on November 14.