WEF president meets PM Tarique Rahman in Dalian

World Economic Forum (WEF) President and CEO Alois Zwinggi paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday at the Dalian International Conference Center in China.

The meeting took place at 5:00 pm local time. At the outset, the WEF president congratulated Rahman on assuming office as prime minister.

During the meeting, the prime minister praised the World Economic Forum‍‍`s various initiatives to address climate change. He urged the organization to take coordinated action in support of delta nations such as Bangladesh and other countries vulnerable to rising sea levels and climate-related risks.

Rahman said Bangladesh has launched an initiative to plant 250 million trees over the next five years. He also highlighted the government‍‍`s efforts to restore water flow, reduce flood risks and protect the environment through the dredging and rehabilitation of nearly 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals.

The prime minister further said Bangladesh has introduced tax incentives to encourage solar power generation as part of its renewable energy strategy. He noted that the country has set a target of generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Zwinggi expressed interest in drawing on Prime Minister Rahman‍‍`s experience and initiatives in tackling climate change at the global level.

He said Bangladesh‍‍`s climate resilience and sustainable development efforts could attract interest from international financing institutions and investors.

Zwinggi assured that the issues raised by Bangladesh would be given due consideration and reaffirmed the World Economic Forum‍‍`s commitment to continuing its support.

During the meeting, he also invited the prime minister to attend the World Economic Forum‍‍`s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister‍‍`s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury, and Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Rumon were also present.