Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, on a three-day official visit to attend the UN’s annual climate conference, COP31.
A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the prime minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and his delegation landed in Istanbul at 12:40pm local time on Tuesday. After a brief stopover in Istanbul, he is due to reach Antalya in the afternoon, local time.
Earlier, the prime minister and his delegation left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Turkey at 7:30am.
According to the itinerary and foreign ministry sources, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Maxx Royal hotel in Antalya at 6:30pm on Tuesday. The two leaders will discuss ways to increase bilateral trade and investment and to widen cooperation in various important sectors.
COP31 will be held in Antalya on 11 and 12 November. The prime minister will address a plenary session and hold bilateral meetings with leaders of various countries on the sidelines. In his plenary speech on 12 November he will set out Bangladesh’s position on climate justice, the historical responsibility of developed countries, climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development.
Newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said bilateral meetings are being arranged during the visit between the prime minister and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the UK foreign secretary. A meeting with the administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is also under consideration.
“Although Bangladesh contributes only 0.05 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change,” the foreign secretary said. “So ensuring climate justice, adaptation finance, dealing with loss and damage from climate change and the fulfilment of developed countries’ pledges are our top priorities.”
Bangladesh’s initiatives at the summit
Bangladesh has set up a “Jute Pavilion” in the summit’s Green Zone, showing the many uses of jute, its environmental benefits and the potential of jute goods as an alternative to plastic. A joint declaration between Bangladesh and Turkey on promoting jute and jute goods is also under discussion.
In addition, the foreign ministry will hold two side events in the Blue Zone on 12 and 13 November: one on the particular risks climate change poses to women in Bangladesh, and the other on the challenges of promoting biodegradable, waste-free jute products as an alternative to synthetic polymers.
A 21-member Bangladesh delegation is attending the summit with the prime minister. It includes Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo; state ministers for foreign affairs Humayun Kabir and Shama Obaed Islam; the prime minister’s special assistant (forest, environment and climate change) Dr Md Saimum Parvez; the chief coordinator (SDG) at the Prime Minister’s Office, Professor Dr SM Abdul Awal; the prime minister’s press secretary AKM Saleh Shibli; and deputy press secretary Hasan Shiplu.
COP, the Conference of the Parties, is the UN’s global climate summit. Turkey holds this year’s presidency, and Australia is co-chair of the formal negotiations. The prime minister is due to return home on Friday after the summit.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report