Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saimum Parvez has called for placing justice, ambition and solidarity at the centre of global climate action, with greater access to fair and concessional finance for climate-vulnerable countries.
He made the call while representing Bangladesh at the Fourth Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Leaders Meeting on Development Reset and Cooperation at the United Nations headquarters in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Parvez is currently in New York as a member of the Bangladesh delegation to UNGA 81.
The meeting was chaired by CVF Chair and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and attended by heads of state and government from climate-vulnerable countries, high-level delegations, development partners and representatives of international organisations.
Highlighting the impacts of sea-level rise, floods, salinity and cyclones on Bangladesh, Parvez said, “Climate change is not tomorrow’s headline; it is our struggle for survival today.”
He also stressed the need to strengthen the voice of vulnerable countries in international climate and development decision-making.
Referring to Bangladesh’s role in advancing the interests of climate-vulnerable countries, Parvez highlighted initiatives from the Dhaka Declaration 2011 to the Dhaka-Glasgow Declaration 2021.
“Collective efforts have played an important role in bringing the issue of loss and damage to the centre of global climate negotiations,” he said.
“When vulnerable countries speak with one voice, the world can no longer turn away,” he added.
Parvez welcomed efforts to advance the Vulnerability to Viability, or V20, Compact and expressed Bangladesh’s strong support for the proposed Lifeline Fund, aimed at providing rapid liquidity support to countries facing balance-of-payments pressure following climate shocks.
He said a major climate disaster could wipe out years of development gains in countries such as Bangladesh, making mechanisms capable of providing rapid financial assistance after climate shocks essential.
Parvez called for stronger international efforts to keep global warming within 1.5°C.
He also highlighted Bangladesh’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2035 under its latest Nationally Determined Contribution and its commitment to generate 20% of the country’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
Addressing the twin climate and finance crises, Parvez said rising debt burdens were forcing many vulnerable countries to divert resources from crucial sectors such as health and education towards debt servicing.
Parvez said the international financial system must become fairer and more effective so that climate-vulnerable countries are not forced to choose between building schools, providing healthcare and meeting basic development needs on one hand, and investing in climate resilience on the other.
Concluding his remarks, he called for stronger international cooperation to make climate action a driver of sustainable and equitable development for all.
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