Tarique Rahman seeks collective actions to build sustainable future

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for collective global actions to build a safer and more sustainable future for the next generation, urging the international community to take five urgent measures, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring predictable climate finance for climate-vulnerable countries.

“Let us act together to build a safer and more sustainable future for generations to come,” the prime minister said while addressing a high-level meeting on “Climate Action and the Just Transition” at the United Nations Headquarters here on Wednesday.

The meeting was held this afternoon (local time) at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the UN Headquarters, convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as part of the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The high-level meeting discussed strengthening international cooperation to address the impacts of climate change, ensure climate justice and accelerate a sustainable and just energy transition.

In his address, the prime minister outlined five urgent measures for global climate action—reducing greenhouse gas emissions to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit under the Paris Agreement, ensuring predictable and accessible adaptation finance for climate-vulnerable countries, expanding access to climate-smart technologies, scaling up renewable energy through finance and technology transfer, and fully implementing and regularly replenishing the Loss and Damage Fund.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s vulnerability despite its negligible contribution to global emissions, Tarique Rahman said the country accounts for less than 0.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet remains one of the most climate-vulnerable nations.

“By the end of this century, 12 to 18 percent of our coastal areas could be submerged by sea-level rise, affecting the livelihoods of tens of millions,” he said.