Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh and Denmark have signed a landmark agreement on climate change to strengthen the partnership on climate and green transition between the two countries.
Bangladesh and Denmark share a joint commitment in tackling global challenges such as climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Flemming Moller Mortensen signed the ‘Sustainable and Green Framework Engagement’ agreement in a city hotel on Monday.
Denmark is the first country to enter into a Framework Engagement with Bangladesh aiming to provide knowledge and technology towards attaining a sustainable and greener future.
The cooperation will bring all instruments into play, ranging from diplomatic action and development cooperation to climate funding and investments, trade and private sector relations, including public-private partnerships. The two countries wish to partner towards attaining a sustainable and greener future globally.
The focus will be on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Environmental Damage and Loss of Biodiversity, in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. During the ceremony, Momen said that the Framework Engagement would serve as an expression of intent between Bangladesh and Denmark, which will be supplemented by an Action Plan involving the concerned government entities.
“This initiative signals our two countries’ shared interest in further diversifying the content of our bilateral relations. It should help build synergies between Bangladesh’s home-grown climate change adaptation strategies and Danish innovation and technological expertise,” he added.
Flemming stated that he was very pleased to sign the agreement during his first visit to Bangladesh.
“Denmark and Bangladesh are two countries with a strong and active engagement in the global climate agenda. Signing of the green framework document today, signals that we are ready to ‘walk the talk’ on the commitments made in the Paris Agreement – the international treaty on climate change, he added.
The agreement was signed in the presence of visiting Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark who is on a three-day official visit to Bangladesh and would visit Rohingya camps to talk to them and Satkhira district to see the impact of climate change.
Hailing from the signing ceremony, Momen told the journalists that under the agreement, Denmark will provide technical assistance in climate change issues.
“Climate change is a serious issue in Bangladesh. Denmark will provide us knowledge and technical assistance. Denmark understands the importance of blue economy. We can work together in this area,” he added.
“Denmark will provide emphasis on our biodiversity. We are providing importance on renewable energy. By 2041, we have a target to achieve 40 per cent renewable energy. Now we have only three per cent of such energy. We have talked with Denmark about it,” he added.
Momen also said he has requested the Danish minister to raise their voices on Rohingya issue as a member of the Security Council of the United Nations.
Foreign minister has also talked with the Danish minister about the destruction of the forestry in the Rohingya inhabited areas.
“We have told the Danish minister that Bangladesh is losing its forestry due to the Rohingyas. They have assured us to assist us in this issue,” he added.
