MPs’ roundtable seeks UK-Bangladesh joint efforts ahead of COP28

A high-profile parliamentary roundtable on “Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord: Priorities for COP28,” hosted by Bangladesh High Commission, London at the UK House of Lords on Thursday proposed creation of a parliamentary caucus on climate change ahead of the COP28 in Dubai in November 2023.

UK Ministers and parliaments from the House of Lords and the House of Commons along with ministers and parliamentarians from Bangladesh participated in the roundtable and discussed common priorities of Bangladesh and the UK for COP28 in light of the Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord signed in March this year.

This was the first roundtable of its kind between Bangladesh and the UK on climate change at the British parliament.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem delivered the opening remarks while Baroness Verma, Patron of Conservative Friends of India and Former UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change who co-hosted the roundtable gave the welcome speech.

Bangladesh’s Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury MP, former Deputy Minister of Environment and Forest and current chair of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Youth and Sports Abdullah Al Islam Jakob MP, Convenor of Climate Parliament Bangladesh Nahim Razzak MP, Sheikh Tonmoy MP and Ayeen Uddin MP spoke at the roundtable from Bangladesh side.

On the other hand, UK Minister for Housing and Homelessness Felicity Buchan MP along with a large number of British parliamentarians spoke at the roundtable from the UK side, including the Shadow Minister for Climate Change Kerry McCarthy, and Shadow Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets Seema Malhotra (more names below).

Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury MP in his speech paid deep tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) during COP26 in Glasgow.

He made a four-point proposal for Bangladesh and the UK to jointly pursue at the COP28, including on loss and damage, climate financing, investing in Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan and Bangladesh’s transition into low carbon economy; and strategic investments in clean, renewable and green energy solutions.

Speaking on the occasion, UK Minister for Housing and Homelessness Felicity Buchan MP praised Bangladesh’s sustained success in climate adaptation leadership, women empowerment, and socio-economic development, according to the Bangladesh High Commission.

She also praised the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK for their continuous contribution to the British economy and society.

Abdullah Al Islam Jakob MP highlighted the coastal areas‍‍` extreme climate vulnerabilities in Bangladesh, and how Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‍‍`s government has implemented over 800 resilience-building projects along the coastline.

Convenor of Climate Parliament Bangladesh Nahim Razzak MP proposed the creation of a parliamentary caucus on climate change ahead of COP28.

Recalling the signing of the historic Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord in Dhaka in March this year during the visit of UK’s Minister for Asia Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan, High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem recommended that both the countries work together for a plan of action for implementation of the Climate Accord.

The UK parliamentarians highlighted the importance of climate finance and a loss and damage fund to address Bangladesh‍‍`s vulnerability to climate change. They also urged for increased investment in green infrastructure, agriculture, and food security.

Apart from the names mentioned above, other participants from the UK side included Member of House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Select Committee Baroness Rosie Boycott, Member of UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Trade and Investment Lord Popat, Member of UK House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee Baroness Susan Kramer, Member of UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Foreign Affairs Baroness Uddin, Member of UK House of Lords Built Environment Select Committee Lord Mawson, Shadow Spokesperson for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lord Stevenson, Opposition Whip Lord Sunny Leong and Former member of House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee Lord Swraj Paul.

The event was also attended by representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and prominent members of the British-Bangladeshi community.