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PM leaves for COP31 summit in Türkiye today
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 10 Nov 2026, 12:00 AM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman leaves Dhaka today for Türkiye to attend the COP31 World Leaders' Summit, where he is scheduled to outline Bangladesh's climate priorities and hold bilateral meetings with several leaders.
The summit will be held in Antalya on 11-12 November. The Prime Minister is due to deliver Bangladesh's statement at a plenary session on 12 November. Briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said the prime minister would lead a delegation on the official visit from 10 to 12 November.
He will be accompanied by his spouse Zubaida Rahman, the environment minister, the two state ministers for foreign affairs, his Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, senior officials and a media team.
Chowdhury said meetings were being arranged with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Australian prime minister, the president of Uzbekistan and the British foreign secretary. A meeting with the UNDP administrator was also being explored. The talks are expected to cover bilateral ties, trade and investment, and climate cooperation.
He said a courtesy meeting with Erdogan was likely, but specific project arrangements were unlikely to be settled on the sidelines of a multilateral summit. Asked about the reported interest of Turkish company Çelebi in providing ground handling services at the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, as a partner of Biman Bangladesh Airlines under the Japanese consortium, he said detailed discussions were unlikely during the meeting.
In his plenary address, the Prime Minister will speak on climate justice, developed countries' historical responsibility, climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development. The foreign secretary said Bangladesh contributes 0.05 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
On compensation, Chowdhury said Bangladesh presents estimates of its losses and damage at international forums to raise awareness and mobilise cooperation. He referred questions on the amount secured through the COP process to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Bangladesh will set up a jute pavilion in the conference's Green Zone to showcase the fibre's versatility, its environmental features and its potential as an alternative to plastic. A joint declaration with Türkiye on promoting jute and jute products is also envisaged.
The foreign ministry will hold two side events in the Blue Zone on 12 and 13 November, one on gender-based vulnerability arising from climate change and the other on promoting biodegradable, zero-waste jute products.
Chowdhury said Türkiye is presiding over this year's conference, while Australia is co-chairing the formal negotiation process. Bangladesh's positions were finalised through inter-ministerial consultations.
Additional Foreign Secretary (Public Diplomacy and Other Priority Matters) AKM Shahidul Karim and senior ministry officials were also present at the briefing.