PM Hasina offers four suggestions.

In a video message to the 79th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina outlined her four-point recommendation with a focus on regional partnerships and cooperation, as well as climate finance and knowledge and technology transfer to new developing countries.

A plea for accelerating climate action in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable development was made at the opening of UNESCAP’s 79th session on Monday.

In order to debate policy choices and opportunities for regional collaboration necessary to accelerate climate action in the region and beyond, the gathering brings together government officials from around Asia and the Pacific and other important stakeholders. The Leaders’ Segment included a pre-recorded video address from the prime minister of Bangladesh. In order to combat the dangerous dangers presented by climate change and make the world a safer and better environment for future generations, Sheikh Hasina encouraged UNESCAP to “consolidate regional partnerships.”

She emphasized that poor nations that are susceptible to climate change, particularly those in Asia and the Pacific, need appropriate funding to execute both their National Action Plans and to meet the goals set out in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are submitted to the UN.

In this regard, the prime minister emphasized “International Support Measures” for a transition towards climate-resilient growth for the graduating countries, i.e. countries like Bangladesh that are phasing out of the list of Least Developed Countries, including knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and innovation-driven trade and investment. The prime minister has previously said that leaving such a grouping shouldn’t result in hardship or penalty, such as decreased benefits or higher tariffs.

She emphasized the availability of trade facilitation measures, digital commerce, and IT-enabled services in poor nations as a means of addressing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and reducing the problems associated with climate change.

The prime minister stated that sub-regional cooperation should be bolstered, notably in speeding current partnerships and forming new partnerships, to boost climate initiatives for sustainable development throughout Asia and the Pacific.

The 79th UNESCAP Session will enable identifying opportunities, sharing solutions, and facilitating engagement of a wide range of partners and stakeholders, to both reduce the risks and impacts of climate change and foster ambitious climate action in Asia and the Pacific towards net-zero pathways and limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees. Discussions on catalyzing climate finance and investments will be a focus of the session, which will be supplemented by a climate solution fair.

The Economic Relations Division (ERD) secretary Sharifa Khan is leading a 13-member Bangladesh delegation that is attending the Commission Session both in person and online. The team is presenting Bangladesh’s perspectives on several agenda topics as well as the Commission’s result.

The ambassador and permanent representative of Bangladesh to UNESCAP, Mohammed Abdul Hye, as well as the alternate and deputy permanent representatives from the embassy, attended the opening session in person while the rest of the delegation participated electronically.