Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will attend the World Leaders' Climate Action Summit at COP31, the UN climate conference in Türkiye, the government has said. COP31 runs from 9 to 20 November at the Antalya Expo Centre, and the leaders' summit takes place on 11 and 12 November. Türkiye is hosting and presiding over the conference, while Australia will chair the negotiations.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam told reporters at the Foreign Ministry on 2 November that the Prime Minister's trip would be brief. She said Bangladesh would press for climate finance in the form of grants rather than loans, arguing that countries with negligible emissions should not be pushed deeper into debt. 'Although Bangladesh contributes virtually nothing to carbon emissions, we ultimately become victims of their consequences,' she said.
Dhaka also plans to urge major emitters to honour their commitments under international climate agreements and to highlight the country's progress on resilience and adaptation. According to the State Minister, the Prime Minister is expected to point to recent canal excavation, tree planting and the expansion of solar and other renewable energy.
Preparations began weeks ago. At an inter-ministerial meeting on 17 September, officials reviewed plans for a Bangladesh pavilion in the conference Blue Zone and a jute expo in the Green Zone, and discussed showcasing women's leadership and locally led innovation. At a Republic Day reception in Dhaka on 29 October, Turkish Ambassador Ramis Sen also referred to the Prime Minister's expected presence in Antalya.
Why it matters for Munshiganj: the district sits where the Padma, Meghna and Dhaleshwari shape daily life, farming and transport. Adaptation money, if it arrives as grants and reaches local level, can support the kind of work river districts need, such as keeping canals flowing for irrigation, protecting farmland and expanding clean energy. A jute expo on a world stage is also a reminder that natural-fibre products still have global buyers.
The government has said it will hold a formal press briefing before the Prime Minister leaves, with details of the delegation, the travel schedule and Bangladesh's negotiating position.
Photo: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
