Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, foreign minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, and His Excellency Laurent Fabius, foreign minister of the French Republic, visited the country on September 21 to witness the effects of climate change on Bangladesh. During the run-up to the crucial climate conference COP21 in Paris, the two foreign ministers wanted to set a strong symbol by jointly visiting Bangladesh, a country that is heavily threatened by the adverse effects of climate change. Their trip gave them a first-hand impression of the impact of global warming and the possible adaptation to strategies in the areas of disaster risk reduction and long-term agricultural activity.
During their daylong visit to Bangladesh, ministers, Fabius and Steinmeier, were scheduled to inaugurate one of the anti-cyclone shelters, which was built with the support of German development cooperation, KfW, in Patuakhali district. They also wanted to meet with local people and farmers, who received training through BARI and the German implementation agency GIZ, regarding the consequences of climate change. However, the program had to be cancelled due to bad weather conditions. Instead, they took a boat trip on the Bangshi River, which is north-west of Dhaka.
The trip was organised by the French-Bangladeshi NGO Friendship, that is working for 14 years to help address the needs of marginalised communities, suffering from climate changes. Runa Khan, founder and executive director, gave an overview of climate changes’ impact on Bangladesh while the delegation members witnessed the effects of the ups and downs of the river level on the environment. During their venture they also saw the vast inundated areas, where bricks are usually made. These areas are now flooded where only the chimneys can be seen.
After this boat trip, Fabius and Steinmeier returned to Dhaka to meet with Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, minister of Foreign Affairs.
In the afternoon Fabius and Dr Steinmeier visited the future Franco-German Embassy in Baridhara, Dhaka. It is the first embassy (a strong symbol of the friendship between the two countries) jointly built and operated by France and Germany.
From its opening in the summer of 2016, the Franco-German Embassy Dhaka will serve as a joint workplace of German and French diplomats and their locally employed Bangladeshi colleagues.
After their visit to Bangladesh, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Laurent Fabius were impressed by the already visible challenges that arise from global warming in this country. Their joint trip underlines the commitment of the two European nations to broker a pragmatic, yet comprehensive, legally-binding agreement in Paris.
Tackling climate change is a challenging task for the international community. And the burden to avoid further environmental hazards caused by climate change has to be shared.
