Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Italy on Sunday at an invitation of the United Nation Secretary-General to attend the UN Food Systems Summit to be held in Rome on July 24-26.

The summit titled ‘United Nations Food Systems +2 Stocktaking Moment’ (UNFSS+2) will be held at the Headquarters of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the theme of ‘Sustainable Food Systems for People, Planet and Prosperity: Diverse Pathways in a Shared Journey.’

Sheikh Hasina and her entourage will leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:00am on Sunday and she is scheduled to reach Rome at 2:00pm local time after a stopover in Doha.

During her stay in Italy, she will also sit in a bilateral meeting with her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

“The premier is expected to pass busy time during her stay in Italy,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at a press conference on Thursday.

On July 24, the Bangladesh Prime Minister will address the inaugural session of the summit as a special guest. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, among others, is expected to speak at the event, he said.

Then Sheikh Hasina will attend a plenary session on food systems and climate action at FAO headquarters, join a regional envoy conference, which will be held with participation of 15 Bangladeshi envoys stationed in Europe on the same day.

On July 25, the Bangladesh prime minister will have a bilateral meeting with her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

Two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on ‘cooperation in the field of energy’ and ‘cultural exchange programme’ are expected to be signed between the two countries during her visit to Italy.

Besides, the Prime Minister is expected to hold talks with the executive chiefs of FAO, International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP).

The premier will be accompanied, among others, by Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder and PM’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salam Fazlur Rahman during the visit.
Sheikh Hasina is expected to return home on July 26.