UNB, Dhaka :
COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma arrived here on Wednesday morning on a two-day visit to to strengthen support for UK COP26 climate priorities ahead of hosting the crucial UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam received Sharma at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 09.20am upon his arrival. He will hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at 12:30pm at Foreign Service Academy. Sharma is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban at 11:30am. He will also attend “UK- Bangladesh Climate Partnership Roundtable” at 2pm at Foreign Service Academy before holding a joint briefing at 3pm. During his engagements in Dhaka, Sharma will discuss shared priorities with Bangladesh which remains a “crucial” partner on the road to COP26. He will discuss the needs of countries most vulnerable to climate change, to ensure they are equipped to deal with its current and damaging effects ahead of COP26. Preventing deforestation while ensuring development and trade is sustainable will also be high on the agenda, as COP26 looks to highlight the protection of nature and biodiversity as a key tool in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C. With less than six months to go before COP26, he will meet leaders from government, business and civil society to press his personal priority for a move to global clean power, critical to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C. Bangladesh is among the fast growing economies with significant renewable energy potential, said the UK government. The visit will highlight their growing leadership and how the UK Presidency will work with countries to support workers and communities to make the transition to good green jobs. It builds on the recent Climate and Environment Ministerial meeting where, under the UK’s leadership, G7 nations agreed to end all new direct government support for international coal power, and to increase support for clean energy alternatives like solar and wind. G7 nations also agreed to work to increase the quantity of finance for climate action in order to meet the $100bn per annum target to support developing countries. Ahead of his visit, Sharma said last week, the G7 made history with a major step towards consigning coal to history and moving to a decarbonised power system but tackling the climate crisis must be a global effort, which leaves no one behind. “COP26 is our best chance of safeguarding our planet for our children, building a brighter future with greener jobs and cleaner air, and keeping the 1.5C target alive,” he said.
