PM reaches Canada
To award late Pierre E Trudeau with Friends of Liberation War Honour
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now in Montreal, will today hand over the “Friends of Liberation War Honour” award for late Pierre Elliot Trudeau to the latter's son, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
The people of Bangladesh have remained grateful to late Canadian premier Pierre Trudeau, a staunch supporter of the Liberation War in 1971.
He received hero's welcome when he first visited Bangladesh along with Justin Trudeau in November 1983.
Trudeau died on September 28, 2000.
Bangladesh has awarded 129 foreign citizens and organisations for their outstanding contributions to the Liberation War.
And Trudeau is one of those who received the “Friends of Liberation War Honour” posthumously.
According to the foreign ministry officials, Justin Trudeau will receive the award on behalf of his father from Hasina.
Hasina, who left Dhaka on Wednesday morning, reached Montreal yesterday after a stopover in London.
After her programmes in Canada, she is due to depart for New York on Sunday afternoon to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Hasina is leading a 55-member delegation to Canada and will lead a 215-member delegation, including 114 businessmen, to UNGA. Usually, the businessmen bear their own costs.
As per the schedule, the PM will attend the inaugural session of the Fifth Global Fund Replenishment Conference this afternoon.
e Fifth Global Fund Replenishment Conference this afternoon.
The Global Fund partnership has made tremendous progress against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, saving 20 million lives since 2002.
The two-day conference in Montréal, Québec, is the occasion to double down on the success of the Global Fund partnership.
Nine other heads of state and government, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Microsoft founder Bill Gates will participate in the conference.
The Bangladesh PM went to Canada at the invitation of her Canadian counterpart.
She will hold a bilateral meeting with Justin Trudeau today, which will be followed by handing over of the “Friends of Liberation War Honour” award.
Later, Hasina will attend a reception. She will then attend a dinner hosted jointly by Justin Trudeau and Ban Ki-moon.
Tomorrow, the Bangladesh PM will deliver a speech at the conference on “Removing barriers to health through empowering women and girls and reaching the most marginalised.”
She will participate in a panel on “Engaging and Mobilising Youth to meet the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Hasina will also attend a lunch hosted jointly by Justin Trudeau and Canadian Governor David Johnston.