PRESS RELEASE : Bangladesh-UK Accord on Climate Change [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

Bangladesh and UK signed an agreement for working together on climate action bilaterally and multilaterally to help deliver the outcomes of COP26 and COP27.

• The Governments of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are committing to address the global challenge of climate change, the impacts of which are becoming ever more severe at both national and international levels.
• Building on the long-standing and highly-valued relationship between our two countries, we resolve to demonstrate leadership and to enhance cooperation in climate action bilaterally and multilaterally, to help deliver the outcomes of COP26 and COP27.
• We will aim to build on the climate leadership demonstrated by the Bangladesh Presidency of the 58-member Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the UK’s Presidency of the COP26 at Glasgow. Bangladesh’s leadership at COP26 in coordinating and promoting the voices from the most climate vulnerable countries contributed to securing additional ambition from many of the big emitters. The UK Presidency successfully brokered the Glasgow Climate Pact, which will speed up the pace of action on mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage. However, even with the action committed both during and before COP26, communities around the world will continue to feel the devastating impacts of a changing climate. All countries must continue with concerted and immediate efforts to deliver on all pledges made at COP26 and COP27.
• As part of UK’s global commitment to tackle climate change, new bilateral, regional and central programmes were announced at COP26 for Bangladesh. The programmes will contribute to build resilience, protect biodiversity, expand renewable energy, prevent pollution and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s leadership, increased access to climate finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.

MITIGATION

• We recognise the urgent need to take bold and comprehensive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The UK and Bangladesh will continue to take actions in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We decide to submit ambitious and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions expanding emissions reductions targets as far as possible. We will work together to support implementation of the measures necessary to achieve these targets. And we will encourage all other countries to be as ambitious as they can be.
• Bangladesh commends the UK for its commitment to achieve a net-zero by 2050, and for being the first major economy to put this commitment into law. The UK has also committed that by 2040 all new cars sold will have zero emissions.
• The UK welcomes Bangladesh’s Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan that calls for strategic investments into low-carbon development initiatives and tackling frontline climate threats.  The UK appreciates the addition of Agriculture, Forestry and other Land use and waste management in Bangladesh’s updated NDC. The UK welcomes Bangladesh’s intention to increase the share of clean energy up to 40% of the total energy by 2041 and low carbon development pathway.
• We emphasise the importance of international cooperation and investment in achieving our mitigation targets. We also recognise the need to ensure this delivers wider benefits such as energy security and access to energy, poverty eradication, economic growth and job creations.

ADAPTATION

• We recognise that Bangladesh as a climate vulnerable country is facing multiple climate change impacts, including sea level rise, heat stress, drought and devastating natural disasters often causing displacement on a large scale.
• We look forward to working closely through the Dhaka office of the Global Center on Adaptation to develop and take integrated approaches to avert, minimise and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change. The newly launched Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation will help climate vulnerable communities throughout the South Asia region benefit from adaptation solutions developed and tested in Bangladesh, the UK, and other countries.
• Both countries have expertise to share, based on their own National Adaptation Plans, in developing the Global Goal on Adaptation. We look forward to working together to accelerate adaptation locally, nationally and globally.
• As signatories to the 75th UNGA Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, we reiterate our pledge to continue to develop and share expertise on nature-based solutions.  We are committed to combine efforts and expertise to scale up nature-based solutions domestically and internationally and demonstrate their cost-effectiveness to other countries. We decide to encourage greater public and private investments in nature-based solutions for adapting to and mitigating climate change. We are determined to implement the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
• We reiterate our shared commitment to work closely in support of collaborative global coalitions including the Resilience and Adaptation Coalition and the Adaptation Action Coalition. We resolve to work with other UN members to show greater political ambition, and to support action on the ground.

LOSS AND DAMAGE

• We welcome the agreement at COP27 to establish new funding arrangements, including the setup of a dedicated fund, to respond to loss and damage from climate change.   We look forward to working to develop the detail of these new arrangements ahead of COP28, including through the UK’s role as a member of the transitional Committee.

FINANCE

• We recognise the crucial role of climate finance in accelerating the development and deployment of environmentally preferable and low carbon technologies. We will work together to encourage all global stakeholders to play their part in collectively meeting the $100 billion a year target, and in setting ambitious post-2020 financial commitments. We call upon multilateral development banks and development finance institutions to contribute to delivering climate finance goals, and to support a green, inclusive and resilient recovery from Covid-19.
• Bangladesh commends the UK for its doubling of international climate finance to £11.6 billion over 2021-2025, setting a clear benchmark for the international community. The UK commends Bangladesh for setting up the domestically resourced Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund financing nationwide adaptation and mitigation climate action projects.
• The Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance sets out to transform access to finance through a new, country-led approach. The UK, as co-lead, and Bangladesh as pioneer country, can play leading roles in ensuring more finance reaches more people on the frontline of climate change.
• We commit also to work domestically and internationally to enhance private finance for adaptation and mitigation, by creating an enabling environment to increase strategic investments in clean and renewable energy, and in protection of nature. We stress the need to work to increase access to climate finance by climatically vulnerable countries, secure greater funding for adaptation and to improve gender-responsiveness of climate finance.

COLLABORATION

• Bangladesh and the UK will exchange expertise, facilitate partnerships, and identify practical solutions to common climate challenges.
• The two countries will hold regular joint events and dialogues on climate action.  The events would be inclusive of all parts of society and focussed on scaling up action on the ground. We recognise the critical role of young people, and seek to meaningfully engage them in climate dialogue and action.
• We stress the need for realizing the opportunities of a clean energy transition and working with national and international institutions and investors towards that end. We decide to cooperate to expand renewable energy through detailed resource assessments for offshore renewables and by testing new technologies more suited to Bangladesh’s land constraints.
• We reaffirm the importance of global collaboration on research, development and capacity building to tackle climate change, and will strive to further collaboration in these areas.
• We express our resolve to continue to work together for sustainable ocean development under the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the UK-led Global Ocean Alliance. We reaffirm our shared commitment to tackle marine plastic pollution under the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance. We propose to also enhance protection of marine resources including by reducing land-based sources of pollution, supporting better management of solid waste, and restoring natural ecosystems.
• We firmly believe by taking the actions outlined above we can contribute to meeting our commitments under the Paris Agreement, and to improving the resilience of the most vulnerable people to climate change.

Signed on 12 March 2023 by

Honourable State Minister, H.E. Mr Md. Shahriar Alam, MP For the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) For the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK