The European Union (EU) has commended Bangladesh’s leadership of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the V20 Climate Vulnerables Finance Summit. The EU invited Bangladesh to consider a Green Partnership with the EU as both sides will discuss it in detail at the climate dialogue in Dhaka in early 2022. Bangladesh praised the EU’s commitments towards climate action and the EU provided further information regarding its proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The EU and Bangladesh met for their fourth Diplomatic Consultations in Brussels recently and discussed the issues. Bangladesh delegation was led by Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Masud Bin Momen while the EU delegation was led by the European External Action Service Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific Gunnar Wiegand. The discussion covered a range of topics and priorities in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation, with the EU signaling, inter alia, interest to support renewable energy, notably regional hydropower generation, and energy connectivity. Both sides underscored the importance of updated Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement and the need for mobilizing adequate funding for mitigation as well as adaptation, according to the joint press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Wednesday. Fair Prices Sought The EU appreciated Bangladesh for its continuing success as the by far largest beneficiary of the EU’s Everything But Arms (EBA) unilateral preferential trade scheme. The EU welcomed the finalisation and publication by Bangladesh of its National Action Plan on the Labour Sector and stressed the need for its comprehensive implementation as per the stipulated timelines. Bangladesh reiterated the need for ensuring fair prices, especially in view of the investments being made in safer and greener factories. The EU reiterated its appreciation for the generous role and action of the people and Government of Bangladesh for continuing to temporarily host a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar for more than four years. The Bangladesh side thanked the EU for its political and humanitarian support in the aftermath of the crisis.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller and Senior Secretary of the Health Service Division Lokman Hossian Miah on Wednesday welcomed the arrival of one million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. The vaccine doses are donated by the United States as part of the U.S. Government’s commitment to donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine globally. Bangladesh is expected to receive another 5 million doses of the same vaccine from the US this month. They build on earlier donations of the Moderna vaccine, for a total of 6.5 million doses gifted by the U.S. Government and the American people to the people of Bangladesh. Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kathryn Stevens were also present at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to receive the shipment of vaccines, facilitated through COVAX. Read: Covid positivity rate shrinks to 10%, cases and deaths continue declining

Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Wednesday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and explained his recent remarks made during a progamme of Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB). The meeting was held at the state guesthouse Padma after the vaccine handover ceremony. They discussed different bilateral issues including Covid cooperation between the two countries, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. They highlighted the importance of the growing relationship between the two countries. On Monday, the Ambassador attended a programme hosted by DCAB and talked about a number of issues including vaccine cooperation. The envoy, while responding to a question, also talked about Quad, an initiative of four countries- the United States, Japan, India and Australia, that followed by a reaction by Dhaka.