Leaders’ Summit on Climate: Kerry to arrive on April 9 to invite PM Hasina
John Kerry, the United States' special presidential envoy for climate, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on April 9 on a daylong visit during which Bangladesh will convey its priority issues to him on the climate front.
"Yes, we're happy that he's coming. We worked with him before, too," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB today.
Kerry will hand over an invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in person to attend the "Leaders' Summit on Climate" to be held on April 22 and 23, Dr Momen said.
US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to the summit that he will host. The virtual summit will be live-streamed for public viewing.
The "Leaders' Summit on Climate" will underscore the urgency -- and the economic benefits -- of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
"We'll be happy to convey our priority issues. We'll also share the steps that Bangladesh has taken so far," Dr Momen said.
He said Bangladesh believes that adaptation is not enough and there has to be mitigation and Bangladesh needs support as promised by others. "It should be Kerry's special target."
Dr Momen said Bangladesh did not create the problem and countries responsible for doing so should share responsibility of rehabilitating and protecting people from river erosion.
During his recent meeting with John Kerry, the foreign minister discussed the global issue of climate change, and the possible US-Bangladesh collaboration in this connection.
The Foreign Minister recollected the vital contribution of Kerry towards the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and welcomed the decision of the US to return to the Paris Agreement.
He described various actions taken by the Government of Bangladesh under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Hasina on mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
Dr Momen also briefed John Kerry on all current and future activities of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) regional office in Dhaka.
Kerry recognised the extraordinary challenges faced by Bangladesh due to climate change and frequent natural disasters.
Comments