Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

Honourable President Joe Biden,

H.E. António Guterres, 

Excellencies.

Assalamu Alaikum, and good morning.

I thank President Biden for convening the Summit and inviting me to speak to this august gathering. Bangladesh deeply appreciates the United States’ return to the Paris Climate Agreement and is keen to engage with the international community.

Excellencies, 

Despite being a climate vulnerable country with resource constraints, Bangladesh has emerged as a global leader on adaptation and mitigation. Every year we are spending about 5 billion dollars, about 2.5 percent of our GDP, on climate adaptation and resilience-building measures. The 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar whom we have sheltered worsened our vulnerability.

Bangladesh is pursuing a low carbon development path. To raise our Nationally Determined Contribution-NDC and adaptation ambition, we have included new sectors in addition to the existing energy, industry and transport sectors in the mitigation process. We are planning to submit a quantified ambitious NDC by June 2021. 

Excellencies,

Bangladesh is observing ‘Mujib Year’, marking the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We are planting 30 million saplings nationwide and adopted “Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan” to achieve low carbon economic growth.  

As the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum-CVF and V20, Bangladesh’s key focus is to uphold the interests of the climate vulnerable countries. We are hosting the South Asian regional office of the Global Centre on Adaptation which is promoting locally-led adaptation solutions.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that global crisis can only be addressed through strong collective response. As such, as a responsible member state of the COP, and as the Chair of CVF, I would like to make few suggestions: 

1. Immediate and ambitious action plan by developed countries to reduce their carbon emissions to keep the global temperature rise at 1.5 degree Celsius. The developing nations should also focus on mitigation measures;
2. Ensuring the annual target of 100 billion US dollars which should be balanced 50:50 between adaptation and mitigation with special attention to the vulnerable communities while pursuing Loss and Damage;
3. Major economies, international financial institutions and private sectors should come forward for concessional climate financing as well as innovation; and
4. Focus is needed on green economy and carbon neutral technologies with provision of technology transfer among nations. 

I thank you all.