Bangladesh and Denmark on Monday signed a document on sustainable and green framework engagement to strengthen the partnership on climate and green transition between the two countries.

Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Flemming Moller Mortensen signed the document in presence of visiting crown princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark at a city hotel.

After the signing ceremony, a meeting was held between the two foreign ministers at the same venue where they discussed the issues of mutual interest.

Celebrating the 50 years of diplomatic ties, the ministers have pledged to take the Bangladesh-Denmark relations to a new level.

The two countries wished to partner towards attaining a sustainable and greener future globally.

The focus will be on climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental damage and loss of biodiversity, in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to Danish Embassy in Dhaka.

Bangladesh and Denmark share a joint commitment in tackling global challenges such as climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Denmark is the first country to enter into a Framework Engagement with Bangladesh aiming to provide knowledge and technology towards attaining a sustainable and greener future.

The cooperation will bring all instruments into play, ranging from diplomatic action and development cooperation to climate funding and investments, trade and private sector relations, including public-private partnerships, according to a joint media statement.

At the signing ceremony, Minister Momen said the Framework Engagement would serve as an expression of intent between Bangladesh and Denmark, which will be supplemented by an Action Plan involving the concerned government entities.

"This initiative signals our two countries’ shared interest in further diversifying the content of our bilateral relations. It should help build synergies between Bangladesh’s home-grown climate change adaptation strategies and Danish innovation and technological expertise,” he said.

The Danish minister stated that he was very pleased to sign the agreement during his first visit to Bangladesh.

“Denmark and Bangladesh are two countries with a strong and active engagement in the global climate agenda. Signing of the green framework document today, signals that we are ready to ‘walk the talk’ on the commitments made in the Paris Agreement – the international treaty on climate change,” he said.

Danish Princes to visit Rohingya camps, Sundarbans

Crown princess Mary Elizabeth who arrived here on Monday morning on a three-day visit was received by Momen at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Shortly after arrival the princess met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gonobhaban.

The princess is scheduled to reach Cox’s Bazar at around 5pm on Monday and will join a briefing by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) on Tuesday morning. 

She will also meet the Rohingyas and host communities in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps on Tuesday.

The princess will travel to Rohingya camps by car from Cox’s Bazar town and observe soil erosion control and environment restoration activities of DRC through tree plantation at camp 5.

She will interact with 8-10 Rohingya beneficiaries in an open shed outside of the RCO. She will plant a tree sapling there.

The crown princess will also interact with the host community.

From Cox’s Bazar, she will fly by a helicopter to Satkhira on Wednesday morning and visit Kultoli village to meet climate vulnerable community members.

The Crown Princess will visit multipurpose cyclone shelter at the nearby community, its management committee and functionality during cyclone.

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She will talk to community members living behind embankments about vulnerability, loss and damages caused by cyclones.

The princess will avail of a boat ride to the Sundarbans and will have interaction with the forest officials during a 15-minute walk through the natural resource discussing biodiversity and salt water intrusion in the Sundarbans.

She is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Istanbul on Wednesday night.