Dhaka seeks collaboration, connectivity in building climate resiliency

Bangladesh is keen to collaborate and build connectivity with the Commonwealth and the country-led Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Presidency, especially in building climate resiliency post-Covid-19 strategies for the climate vulnerable countries, said Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem.

She highlighted some of Bangladesh's priorities as CVF presidency, including reducing climate vulnerability, the 1.5 degrees campaign, financing for nationally-determined contributions to address climate change, scaling up efforts to reduce loss and damage, and linkages between climate change, human rights, and displacement.

Tasneem made the remarks at a briefing on Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Finance Ministers Presidency at the Commonwealth Board of Governors' extraordinary meeting on post-Covid strategies in London on September 11, says a statement of Bangladesh high commission issued today.

She also proposed a CVF-Commonwealth Leaders High Level Meeting at the upcoming Kigali Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June 2021.

The Bangladesh envoy also said Bangladesh takes pride in hosting the South Asian Regional Office of Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) in Dhaka jointly inaugurated on September 8 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former secretary-general of the United Nations and Chair of GCA Ban Ki-moon  to accelerate climate adaptation actions and solutions in South Asia.

Tasneem also informed the 54-member Commonwealth Board of Governors that Bangladesh would continue to play a leadership role to promote digital market places, create a Commonwealth B-2-B connectivity hub to promote intra-Commonwealth trade for all products, particularly in PPEs, antiviral medicines, therapeutics and medical equipment manufactured in Commonwealth countries.

High Commissioner Tasneem called upon global vaccine research institutions and manufacturers to provide licencing rights for manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines to countries like Bangladesh, which is exempted of WTO TRIPS Agreement in pharmaceuticals sector.

The Commonwealth secretary general and many Commonwealth high commissioners praised Bangladesh for its manufacturing successes in PPE and antiviral drugs in the post-Covid global market.