Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Qatar tomorrow (March 4) to attend the LDC5 Summit.
This will be the last participation of Dhaka in that summit as a member state of the grouping of poorer economies as Bangladesh is set to graduate out of the forum by 2026.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Seheli Sabrin in a briefing said the prime minister was expected to seek global supports for smooth transition of Bangladesh's LDC graduation during her participation in the summit to be held on March 5-9 in Doha.
She will also seek developed countries support to continue the existing trade privileges beyond 2026 in view of global recession and COVID-19 impact.
In her arguments, the prime minister would point out that the LDC and developing nations were worst victims of the pandemic while the Russia-Ukraine war rattled their economies more than that of the developed countries.
During the visit, the prime minister would call on Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani on the summit sidelines.
She is likely to seek Qatar's support in the areas of fuel oil, as energy prices have shot up due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the spokesperson said.
The premier is also set to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during the Summit.
On March 5, the Prime Minister will deliver her speech as a 'special guest speaker' at the 'Opening Plenary Meeting' of the summit.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) president Csaba Korosi and Malawi President and the current Chairperson of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera are also scheduled to address the session.
The Prime Minister will address the side event titled "Sustainable and Smooth Transition for the Graduating Cohort of 2021" organised by the three Asian countries- Bangladesh, Nepal and Lao PDR- who are on the way to transition from the list of LDC on March 5.
On March 6, she will deliver a speech as the chief guest at the business summit titled "The Rise of Bengal Tiger: Potentials of Trade & Investment in Bangladesh", jointly organised by Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
She will attend a side event arranged by Bangladesh titled "Investment in Research and Development in LDCs for Smart and Innovative Societies" as the chief guest.
Egypt, Singapore, and Estonia's ministerial level representatives will attend the side event, while high level officials of several international organisations including WTO, UN Tech Bank for LDCs and OECD are also scheduled to join the ocasion.
The Prime Minister will attend the 'Regional Envoys Conference' organised with Bangladesh ambassadors stationed in GCC countries consisting Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
On March 7 morning, Sheikh Hasina will attend a high level roundtable titled "Enhancing the participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in International Trade and Regional Integration" as a co-chair.
The Prime Minister will join a side event as the chief guest titled "Global Partnership for Smooth and Sustainable Graduation: Marching towards Smart Bangladesh" organized by Bangladesh.
The Minister of Denmark, UNCTAD- General Secretary and high officials of different international organisations including WTO, UNIDO, and OECD will also attend the side event.
Besides, the prime minister will join the event organised by the Bangladesh expatriates and community living in Qatar as the chief guest before leaving for home on March 8.