Bangladesh’s Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo took part in the international conference titled “TURKIYE’S ROAD TO COP31: RESILIENT CITIES”, held in Antalya, Türkiye, on 8–9 May ahead of the United Nations Climate Conference COP31 scheduled for November this year.
The two-day conference focused on building resilient and sustainable cities in response to the growing impacts of climate change. Ministers, policymakers and development partners from several countries attended the event, which was held at the Museum Hotel in Hatay, Türkiye.
In the opening session, Türkiye’s Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum welcomed the delegates and stressed the importance of developing disaster-resilient and sustainable urban systems to address climate risks.
Later, Abdul Awal Mintoo held a bilateral meeting with Murat Kurum. During the meeting, the Turkish minister sought Bangladesh’s views and recommendations on COP31 and the proposed Hatay Declaration, describing Bangladesh as a close and friendly partner in the international community. He also invited Bangladesh to actively participate in COP31 and expressed Türkiye’s interest in strengthening cooperation on environmental protection and climate resilience.
Thanking the Turkish government for the invitation, Mintoo said that a large number of Bangladeshis live in Türkiye and that the people of Bangladesh regard Türkiye as a friendly nation. He noted that although Bangladesh contributes only 0.35 percent of global carbon emissions, it remains one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. He said deforestation, rapid urbanization and rising sea levels continue to threaten the country’s environment and livelihoods.
Mintoo added that Bangladesh will present a special agenda at COP31 seeking greater international cooperation and climate financing for vulnerable countries. He also said Bangladesh would appoint focal persons ahead of the conference to present the country’s climate vulnerabilities, priorities and support needs more effectively.
He stressed the need for developed countries to take greater responsibility and called for fair and timely climate financing for affected nations. Later, he joined a panel discussion with ministers and representatives from The Gambia, Syria, the World Bank and ?LBANK, where he highlighted the need for financing climate-resilient infrastructure, stronger technical cooperation, technology transfer and capacity building.
On the sidelines of the conference, Bangladesh and the Maldives held a bilateral meeting to strengthen cooperation in environment, climate change and energy. Maldives Climate Change, Environment and Energy Minister Ali Shareef sought Bangladesh’s support for a plan to plant five million trees in the Maldives, including nursery development, sapling production and technical assistance. In response, Mintoo said Bangladesh has launched a priority program to plant 250 million trees over the next five years and invited the Maldivian minister to visit Bangladesh to observe nursery operations and plantation management practices.
On the final day, Kosovo’s Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Fitore Pacolli, paid a courtesy call on Mintoo and sought Bangladesh’s support for inclusion in the COP process. The two sides also discussed the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding on environmental and climate cooperation during COP31.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the Hatay Declaration and a high-level roundtable discussion on climate risk reduction, resilient urban development, sustainable infrastructure and stronger international cooperation.
