US keen to boost bilateral ties with Bangladesh in climate actions: Saber

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said the United States (US) has interested to enhance bilateral relations with Bangladesh in environmental and climate actions in the coming days.

“These are priority areas for the United States, so the United States wants to cooperate with us in programmes to combat climate change,” he told reporters after a meeting with Afreen Akhter, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs.

The meeting was held at the Bangladesh Secretariat here.

“We talked about how they will cooperate in meeting our needs in the light of environment and climate change,” the environment minister said, “we want to establish a new platform by forming a fund of US 15 billion to combat climate change. All our development partners can help there.”

He said: “I am optimistic, America will be too. They will keep our needs in mind in the US plan. We discussed how Bangladesh-US relations can be further strengthened in the future.”

During the meeting, they discussed the importance of collaborative efforts between the United States and Bangladesh in addressing environmental challenges, tackling climate change, preserving natural resources, and promoting sustainable development.

They reaffirmed their commitment to working together to address environmental challenges and ensure a sustainable benefit of present and future generations.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran; Helen LaFave, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Bangladesh; Michael Schiffer, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Alla Kamins, Deputy Director at the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Nuclear Security and Non-proliferation; Hailey Becker, Acting Chief of Staff for the Bureau for Asia at USAID; Reed Aeschliman, Mission Director of USAID Bangladesh; and Bronwyn Llewellyn, Natural Resources Officer at USAID Bangladesh; were also present at the meeting. (BSS)