PM off to Türkiye to attend COP31 summit

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman left Dhaka for Türkiye on Tuesday morning on a three-day visit to attend the World Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled to be held in Antalya on November 11-12.

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

The flight is scheduled to reach Antalya Airport at 4:05pm local time following a stopover in Istanbul, he said.

“The Prime Minister is going to Türkiye on a three-day visit to attend the COP31 summit. He will deliver a speech at the summit,” Shiplu said.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser and BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar saw the Prime Minister and his wife off at the VIP lounge of the airport.

COP31, the UN climate change conference, officially began in Antalya on Monday and will run through November 20.

As part of the conference, the two-day World Leaders’ Summit will be held on November 11-12.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a plenary session on November 12 and hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said in a curtain-raiser briefing in Dhaka on Monday.

He said Tarique would outline Bangladesh’s position and expectations on climate justice, the historical responsibility of developed countries, climate finance, adaptation, addressing loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development.

The foreign secretary said the Prime Minister’s engagements on the sidelines of the summit are expected to cover strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade and investment, cooperation in addressing climate change and other matters of mutual interest.

He said Bangladesh contributed only 0.05 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet remained among the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. “Against this backdrop, securing climate justice is one of Bangladesh’s foremost priorities,” he said.

Other priorities include adaptation finance, addressing loss and damage, and ensuring the effective implementation of developed countries’ climate finance commitments, Salahuddin Noman said.

At the summit, Bangladesh will highlight its achievements in climate resilience and share its experience in addressing climate impacts across South Asia and the wider Asian region.

Bangladesh has also taken an initiative to establish a jute pavilion in the conference’s Green Zone to showcase jute’s diverse uses, environment-friendly characteristics and potential as an alternative to plastic.

A joint declaration between Bangladesh and Türkiye on the use and promotion of jute and jute products is also envisaged during the conference, the foreign secretary said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise two side events in the Blue Zone on November 12 and 13.

One will focus on gender-based vulnerability in Bangladesh resulting from the adverse impacts of climate change, while the other will address the challenges of promoting environment-friendly, biodegradable and zero-waste jute products.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to return home on November 13. -UNB