State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Monday said Bangladesh will urge developed countries to provide climate finance in the form of grants rather than loans and take responsibility for their contribution to global carbon emissions at the upcoming COP31, scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would make a brief visit to attend the two-day high-level sessions of the conference.
COP is the annual UN Climate Summit, officially known as the Conference of the Parties.
The Prime Minister will participate in the World Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for November 11-12, a senior official told UNB.
“The Prime Minister's visit will be formally announced at a press conference, as we do ahead of every foreign visit. You will know the details then,” Shama said.
She said Bangladesh would highlight its achievements in climate resilience and its experience in addressing the impacts of climate change across South Asia and the wider Asian region.
At the same time, Bangladesh would highlight the support it needs to tackle future climate challenges, particularly the need to ensure that climate finance is provided as grants rather than loans, she said.
The State Minister stressed the need for major carbon-emitting countries to take responsibility and ensure accountability during climate negotiations.
“Although Bangladesh's contribution to global carbon emissions is almost negligible, we are ultimately among those suffering the consequences,” she said.
Shama said the government would also showcase the initiatives taken by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman over the past six months to address climate change and improve the environment.
These include canal excavation, tree plantation drives, and greater emphasis on solar power and renewable energy, which directly contribute to tackling climate change, she said.
An inter-ministerial coordination meeting chaired by State Minister Shama was held last month to review Bangladesh's preparations for the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).
The meeting reviewed various aspects of the preparations, including the Prime Minister's participation in the high-level segment of COP31.
Bangladesh's priorities and concerns at COP31 were discussed at the meeting, which also reviewed possible bilateral meetings and seminars to be held on the sidelines at Bangladesh's pavilions in the Blue and Green Zones, an official told UNB.
Asked about the latest developments regarding execution of two Bangladeshis in Saudi Arabia, Shama said the Bangladesh mission in the Kingdom has been maintaining regular communication with the relevant authorities.
“Communication with Saudi Arabia through our mission is continuing. We hope to receive some information from them soon. The process is underway. We hope to hear something from the Saudi government shortly,” she said.