Momen bats for joint climate event during COP26

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has underscored the need for hosting a climate event on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow in early November to bolster cooperation among the climate-vulnerable nations, including Bangladesh.

Dr Momen batted for the joint climate event -- Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) -- during bilateral discussions with COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma at 9 Downing Street in London on Friday. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is slated for November this year.

He proposed that the UK and Bangladesh expand their bilateral climate ties, especially in transferring green technology, promoting green investment, and supporting climate mitigation projects such as building embankments to protect people from sea-level rise and riverbank erosion. 

The Foreign Minister highlighted Bangladesh’s important role in CVF under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

At the meeting, Dr Momen briefed Sharma on the COP26 agenda for Bangladesh focusing particularly on loss and damage and the proposed CVF-COP26 Leaders’ Summit under Bangladesh’s Presidency. 

Thanking Sharma for visiting Bangladesh last June, he also congratulated him on organising the July COP26 successfully.

The COP26 President-Designate, on his part, assured Bangladesh of the UK’s continued support for its climate initiatives covering different areas, including collaboration to promote green financing and investment, and technology transfer to build a clean and green future. 

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, Saida Muna Tasneem, had accompanied Dr Momen to the talks, along with other senior members of the Minister’s delegation.  

Later in the day, Dr Momen delivered a climate talk, titled ‘Forging a CVF-COP26 Climate Solidarity’, organised by the UK’s foremost think-tank Chatham House, where he called for global solidarity and political commitment to combat climate challenges.

Mentioning Bangladesh’s various initiatives including the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan Decade 2030’ and Bangladesh’s self-financed USD450 million Climate Change Trust Fund, the Minister said that Prime Minister Hasina has been pursuing a low carbon development path “although Bangladesh is a minimal emitter”.

During the meeting, the Minister noted that the Rohingyas posed a grave threat to the environment in southeastern Bangladesh and called for UK’s support in repatriating them to their own country, Myanmar. 

High Commissioner Tasneem gave her welcome speech at the dialogue, organised jointly by Bangladesh High Commission and Chatham House and attended by former Maldives President and CVF Thematic Ambassador for Ambition, Mohamed Nasheed, along with a number of CVF Ambassadors and High Commissioners and climate experts. 

Chatham House chair Bernice Lee moderated the talks, where several British and British-Bangladeshis joined in a lively question and answer session with the Foreign Minister.