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 from 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.
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 Patricia 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 bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 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".
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 a guard of honour there.
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 the 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 from De Gaulle International Airport by a VVIP flight of Biman and land at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 10 am (local time) on November 14.