The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session is an annual ritualistic exercise that draws world leaders to the global body in the second half of September for discussions on political, economic, social and other matters of importance to mankind.
But, this time around, it bears some special significance for some red-hot issues.
Generally, the foreign ministers of the respective countries lead their delegations to the nearly three-month-long deliberations at the UN headquarters in New York. Contemporary global situation comes under review and the member-nations have an opportunity of giving vent to their views on issues concerning them.
The beginning of the UNGA session witnesses the presence of many world leaders and the global focus revolves around them as their addresses to the plenary draws both applauses and criticisms.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to leave tonight (Sunday night) for New York to attend the UNGA session. She is expected to address the plenary on September 27 and also meet world leaders and key personalities on bilateral level on the sidelines of the global meet.
Prominent among them is the new Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Hasina's meeting with him will be the first as premier.
The 69th UNGA is taking place against the backdrop of a number of burning global issues that dangerously threaten the global peace and stability.
So the deliberations this time around are expected to be heavily dominated by such critical issues like the Ukraine crisis, Islamic State's presence in Syria and Iraq, Iran's nuclear programme and host of issues -- ranging from military to ones that are inextricably linked with socioeconomic uplift.
Notwithstanding myriad problems, the world leaders in their speeches in the UNGA generally seek to portray an international environment conducive to global peace and tranquillity.
Noble thinking and imaginations are galore -- albeit the fact that mistrust, bitterness and a sense of frustration are pre-dominant among many attending delegations owing to their versions of the global scenario.
Nonetheless, the UNGA serves as an inspiration for maintaining a happy and healthy environment across the world. Sceptics say that the routine UNGA is hardly a meaningful gathering, but it is also believed that the global assembly brings the member-nations closer despite differences on many matters.
Session 2014 will see some new leaders in the United Nations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one.
Last year, Hassan Rohani, the new president of Iran, was the cynosure at the UNGA. His moderate stance about the "West" raised hopes for the lessening of tensions with the US and its allies on different critical issues, including Tehran's nuclear programmes.
However, not much progress has so far been made towards that direction although the ambience has improved for a resolution of Iran's stand-off with the West.
In 2012, former Egyptian president Mohammad Moorsi, the first elected leader of the most populous Arab nation, was a notable presence at the UNGA. He was later deposed by the army in a coup.
In 2012, the focus was on the then Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, because of his nation's ever-increasing confrontation mainly with the USA and Tehran's atomic programme.
Iran's Achilles' heel in the Middle East -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- was also present. He is expected to be in the UNGA this time, too. But Iranian President Rohani is unlikely to attend the meet.
Undeniably, one positive aspect of such international gatherings is the bilateral contacts among the leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA session and that helps develop personal rapport as well as in bettering ties among their countries.
In fact, such informal meetings at times greatly contribute to improving relations between the countries which experience strains in their ties because of many factors.
The Bangladesh prime minister is scheduled to have several such meetings with important figures during her stay in the New York. Her talks with Mr. Modi will be monitored closely with great interest since some outstanding bilateral issues -- which are critically important from Dhaka's point of view --need to be resolved at the earliest.
It remains to be seen how Mr. Modi responds to this urgency.
Bangladesh foreign minister A.H. Mahmood Ali has just met the Indian prime minister in New Delhi and Mr. Modi showed interest in further developing ties with Dhaka.
True, the UNGA session is largely a routine exercise, but it is also significant for the simple reason that it is a landmark annual event that helps member-nations come closer despite the fact that the world is battered by differences and conflicts with member-nations having differing perceptions about the overall scene.
While the world is hardly free from crises of big magnitude, three international issues -- the Ukraine crisis, which is reminiscent of the cold-war era, "East-West" rivalry, the Palestine tangle with particular stress on Israel's recent aggression against the Palestinians and the emergence of the "Islamic State" and the vow of US President Barack Obama to "crush" the Sunni fighters will figure prominently in the UNGA deliberations this time.
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