AZM Sajjad Hossain, Washington DC,— Bangladesh and the United States are keen to deepen their bilateral relations in addressing the defining challenges of climate change.
This was expressed at a meeting between Special Envoy to Prime Minister of Bangladesh for Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP and the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry held on Tuesday (24 October) afternoon at the latter’s office at the U.S. Department of State.
The envoys discussed mitigation, adaptation funding, technology transfer as well as loss and damage and shared perspectives to forge greater collaborations bilaterally and on global climate platforms including at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP).
Bangladesh envoy Mr. Saber Chowdhury reiterated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment and leadership on climate issues and said that Bangladesh would continue to voice for the climate vulnerable and least developed countries to address the gaps in the implementation of global climate pledges.
He also briefed Mr. Kerry about various climate initiatives of Sheikh Hasina’s progressive government including the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ which plots a trajectory for Bangladesh from vulnerability to resilience to prosperity.
Special Presidential Envoy John Kerry said that the U.S. has been engaging with countries to reduce global emissions and working with institutions like the World Bank on funding issues.
Regarding investment in Bangladesh’s renewable sector, Mr. Kerry said that the U.S. would be willing to be a partner in helping Bangladesh achieve its climate goals.
Both Mr. Chowdhury and Mr. Kerry underlined the importance and urgency of consensus building and global solidarity through enhanced collective efforts to make COP28 a success.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Mr. Muhammad Imran was also present at the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP chaired a global inquiry on public financing and progress on phase out of fossil fuels at the Senate Hart Building in Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Mr. Ed Markey, Member of Canadian Senate Ms. Roza Galvez ‍and leading parliamentarians from Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Zambia and Uganda participated in the inquiry and heard from expert witnesses.