Yunus takes 7-member team to UNGA, Hasina used to take hundreds

In a miles departure from what the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina used to do, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus will attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with a lean 7-member team.

According to a notice issued by the Chief Advisor’s Office, Dr Muhammad Yunus will travel with a team of seven people, which includes his daughter Deena Afroz Yunus; Debapriya Bhattacharya, a member of the white paper committee on economy; Shahidul Alam, managing director of Drik; Lamiya Morshed, principal coordinator for SDGs Affairs; Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser; Shabbir Ahmad, assistant private secretary to the chief adviser and Aysha Siddique Tithi, a student of BRAC University.

Hasina attended the 70th UNGA in 2015 with a mammoth 227-member team. In 2014, her team size was 178.

Hasina’s delegations to the UNGA consisted of the ministers of the AL-led government, PMO and foreign ministry officials, and business representatives, among others. However, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus’ 7-member delegation to the 79th UNGA did not include any of the advisers of the interim government.

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