As the organization turns 60, the management and members of the venerable middle-aged institution are making plans to celebrate its work and enact a series of reforms to ensure it remains relevant for another 60 years.

More than 175 heads of state and government are expected to participate in the plenary session in the vast General Assembly hall and in roundtable discussions, treaty-signings, and other meetings taking place in connection with the event, which will be the largest gathering ever of world leaders.

Over three days, world leaders have a historic opportunity to forge a new global consensus on the role of the UN in confronting key global security threats of the 21st century, including underlying sources of instability such as human deprivation and environmental decline.

The main focus of the summit will be reforms in the 191-member United Nations itself in order to make it more effective and efficient in its work throughout the world.

The Prime Minister will address the High Level Plenary Meeting of the summit on the inaugural day on September 14 and will make a country statement at the general debate of the UNGA on September 17.

Her other engagements include meeting with the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice on Sept 15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the Prime Minister will stay during her visit to the USA. Official sources said Khaleda and Rice would discuss the entire range of bilateral issues between Bangladesh and the USA.

Khaleda Zia will hold a large number of bilateral meetings including with the leaders of the Maldives on Sept 14, as well as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Mozambique on Sept 16. Besides, the Chairman of the Wall Street Journal, the Executive Director of UNICEF, the Administrator of UNDP and the Chairman of the Bangladesh Caucus, Joseph Crowley will call on her.

She will also join a lunch to be hosted by the UN Secretary General in honour of the heads of state and government, a reception to be hosted by the US President and a reception by the Bangladeshi community in the USA.

At the sideline, Khaleda Zia will attend the inaugural session of the first meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York on Sept 15.

She will lead a 26-member Bangladesh delegation to the World Summit, which include ministers and high officials. Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, who is now in the USA, will join the delegation while Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan will leave here on Sept 15 to join the PM's delegation.

Foreign Ministry Advisor Reaz Rahman, Rozy Kabir MP, Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin and Secretary to the Prime Minister Khandaker Shahidul Alam have also been included with the Bangladesh delegation.

She will leave New York on Sept 17 after delivering her address at the UNGA and is expected to return home in the early hours of Sept 19.

The upcoming summit will review implementation of the Millennium Declaration and follow up to the major United Nations conferences and summits. The event will be a historic opportunity for the world leaders to take stock of the progress achieved so far in this regard.

The summit is also expected to inject new energy in pursuit of the objectives of the conferences.

UN Secretary-General Annan put forward an ambitious set of reform proposals in March 2005 that are now being considered by the UN General Assembly in preparation for the upcoming Summit meeting.

Despite the challenging times, Foreign Ministry officials here said the September Summit marks the most important opportunity in decades to launch the far-reaching reforms that will be required to prepare the UN to confront today's new and daunting global security problems.

The primary purpose of the United Nations, as defined by its charter, is "to maintain international peace and security." Toward that end, the UN charter stipulates a set of mechanisms for the Security Council that are designed to galvanize a collective response from UN members when confronted with a compelling threat to global peace and stability.

The United Nations has helped bring about over 170 peace settlements, including those that ended the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, led to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1988, and brought the El Salvador civil war to a close in 1992.

The 60 UN peacekeeping missions since 1948 have helped countries maintain cease fires, conduct free and fair elections, and monitor troop withdrawals in numerous global hotspots, including ongoing missions in the Middle East, Haiti, Kosovo, Sudan, and Liberia, among others.