Despite spending several million taka, Bangladesh’s pavilion at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, has remained empty since the conference began on November 10.
While pavilions from other countries have been bustling with discussions, exhibitions, and networking sessions, the Bangladesh pavilion has seen no activity.
It has not even been inaugurated, reportedly because a senior government official from Dhaka has yet to arrive.
Officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said the pavilion would only be inaugurated by Mohammad Navid Saifullah, additional secretary (Climate Change Wing), who had not reached the venue as of Tuesday.
“Our additional secretary sir will come; he will officially inaugurate the pavilion, then the program will start,” said Mirza Shawkat Ali, director (International Convention) at the Department of Environment.
A youth-led event titled “Local to Global: Youth Inclusion in the Loss and Damage Framework,” jointly organized by Daffodil International University, YOUNGO, and YOUCAN, was cancelled at the last minute due to the pending inauguration.
“We got confirmation through official mail before coming to COP30,” said Jasmina Sabatina, moderator of the event. “Now the authorities are requesting us to cancel the program on November 12.”
Global climate campaigner Harjeet Singh, who was invited to speak at the session, confirmed the cancellation. “I was invited to speak at the Bangladesh pavilion, but the event was cancelled because it hadn’t been inaugurated,” he told this correspondent.
Over the past two days, the pavilion has remained closed, with no sessions listed in the official COP30 calendar. Witnesses said several youth delegates were turned away by Bangladeshi officials, some of them visibly upset after being told their sessions could not go ahead.
Contacted for comment, Additional Secretary Mohammad Navid Saifullah denied instructing anyone to delay or cancel events.
“I have not instructed any of my team members to withhold or cancel any event until my arrival,” he said.
MoEFCC Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed said there had been “last-minute changes” in the Bangladesh delegation.
“The adviser and I could not join COP30 due to pressing national priorities,” she said. “A new leadership team will soon arrive to continue our planned activities.”
Officials familiar with the arrangements said each delegate’s travel cost between Tk4 lakh and Tk7 lakh in airfare alone, excluding accommodation and allowances. The pavilion itself reportedly cost several million taka to build and decorate, though the ministry has not disclosed the total expenditure.
When asked about the costs, Mirza Shawkat Ali, Dr Farhina Ahmed, Mohammad Navid Saifullah, and Joint Secretary Dharitri Kumar Sarkar all declined to comment.
Bangladesh’s presence at the main COP30 negotiations has also been minimal.
On November 11, during the plenary sessions of the CMP (Kyoto Protocol), CMA (Paris Agreement), SBI (Subsidiary Body for Implementation), and SBSTA (Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice), Bangladesh’s seats remained empty.
During the Gender Action Plan discussions, Roslina Parvin, the ministry’s designated focal point, was absent despite being in Belém. Later that day, Ziaul Haque, Prof Mizan R. Khan, and Prof Dr AKM Saiful Islam attended an LDC coordination meeting.
Observers, youth participants, and civil society representatives expressed frustration over Bangladesh’s lack of participation.
“This pavilion should have been used to highlight Bangladesh’s leadership on adaptation and resilience,” said a young delegate, requesting anonymity. “Instead, it has become a symbol of bureaucratic delay.”
As of Tuesday evening, the pavilion remained unused and awaiting its inauguration.
Farida Akhter, adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, was expected to arrive on Wednesday, but neither the chief adviser nor the environment adviser attended COP30 this year.