World economic forum: Yunus to fly to Switzerland January 21

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will be in Switzerland for the annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) from January 21-24.

“During his four-day visit, the chief adviser will join different sessions of the forum in Davos and also meet the heads of various states, governments, and international organisations,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Rafiqul Alam told a weekly media briefing yesterday.

Lutfey Siddiqi, chief adviser’s special envoy on international affairs, and Lamiya Morshed, principal coordinator on SDG affairs, will accompany Yunus during the visit, he said.

The WEF annual meeting 2025, with the theme “Shaping the Intelligent Age”, convenes global leaders to address key global and regional challenges.

The world leaders will discuss global challenges, economy, geopolitics and ways forward to improving peoples’ lives.

TRUMP’S OATH-TAKING

Spokesperson Rafiqul said following the tradition, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US, Asad Alam Siam, will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

“There is a tradition and as per the tradition, this time too, foreign mission heads in the US have been invited. We have a note verbal on it,” he said.

In another development, Rafiqul said the government has sent the information sought by the UN Fact-Finding Mission to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“We were waiting for the information from the home ministry. We have received the information and sent it to the UN.”

Earlier, there was a report that the home ministry was delaying in providing information as required by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, which was probing the human rights violations during the July uprising.

The spokesperson said he had no idea when the UN mission would complete the report and make it public.

Asked if the government would review the agreements or MoUs signed with India over the last 15 years, he said the ministries that inked the deals may do it if they need to.

Anyone could see those uploaded in the Indian external affairs ministry’s website, he said while responding to a query about why the deals are not made public.

Asked why Bangladesh foreign ministry does not upload those, he said, “You may say it is for bureaucratic complexity.”

Rafiqul said so far 13 people injured during the uprising have been sent abroad for better treatment and two of them returned home after receiving treatment.

He added that the government has no information on what status former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is staying in India.