PM leaves for Türkiye to attend COP31 leaders’ summit

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman left Dhaka for Türkiye on Tuesday morning on a three-day official visit to attend the COP31 World Leaders' Summit, where he will address a plenary session and hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

"A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Zubaida Rahman and other entourage members departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:30 am," said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

Planing and Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, BNP Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Dhaka North City BNP Member Secretary Lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani and PM's principal secretary ABM Abdus Sattar were present at the Airport to see the Prime Minister off.

The summit will be held in Antalya on 11-12 November, and the Prime Minister will deliver Bangladesh's statement at the plenary session on 12 November.

COP, or the Conference of the Parties, is the annual UN climate summit where countries discuss collective action on climate change.

The Prime Minister's entourage includes the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, two state ministers for foreign affairs, his Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, relevant officials, a media team and other distinguished individuals.

Newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury told reporters yesterday, Monday, that arrangements for the sideline engagements were still being finalised.

Bilateral meetings are being arranged with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Australian Prime Minister, the President of Uzbekistan and the British Foreign Secretary. A meeting with the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) is also being explored.

The meetings are expected to cover bilateral relations, trade and investment, climate cooperation and other matters of mutual interest, he said, expressing hope that they would open new opportunities to advance Bangladesh's economic and geopolitical interests.

Asked about a possible courtesy meeting with the Turkish President, Chowdhury said he said there was a possibility of such an engagement, during which overall cooperation between the two countries would be discussed.

However, specific project arrangements were unlikely to be settled in such a meeting on the sidelines of a multilateral conference, he said.

In his plenary address, the Prime Minister will outline Bangladesh's position on climate justice, the historical responsibility of developed countries, climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development.

Chowdhury said Bangladesh contributes only 0.05 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions yet remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Securing climate justice is therefore one of its foremost priorities, along with adaptation finance, addressing loss and damage, and ensuring developed countries deliver on their climate finance commitments.

On compensation for climate-related losses and damage, he said Bangladesh presents estimates of its losses at international forums to raise awareness and mobilise cooperation. Though estimates vary, he said, highlighting them globally works in the country's favour.

Bangladesh will also showcase its achievements in climate resilience and share its experience of tackling climate impacts across South Asia and the wider Asian region, he said.

Bangladesh has taken an initiative to set up a jute pavilion in the conference's Green Zone to showcase jute's diverse uses, environmental benefits and potential as an alternative to plastic. A joint declaration between Bangladesh and Türkiye on promoting jute and jute products is also envisaged, the foreign secretary said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise two side events in the Blue Zone on 12 and 13 November. One will focus on women's particular vulnerability to climate change in Bangladesh, and the other on the challenges of promoting biodegradable, zero-waste jute products as alternatives to synthetic polymers. 

Chowdhury said Türkiye is presiding over this year's conference, while Australia is co-chairing the formal negotiation process.

The foreign ministry coordinated with the environment ministry and other agencies, he said, and Bangladesh's positions were set through inter-ministerial discussions and consultations with stakeholders.

He expressed hope that participation under the Prime Minister's leadership would strengthen Bangladesh's standing in international climate diplomacy and showcase its efforts to build climate resilience.