It is truly unfortunate that at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where the world has convened to shape climate futures, our nation has begun the conference not by showcasing our resilience, but our dysfunction, with the Bangladesh pavilion remaining shuttered for days since the beginning of the conference on November 10, reportedly due to a senior official’s absence and the need for an “official inauguration.”
This is, quite simply, embarrassing.
Notable also is the fact that there are already numerous individuals from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC); yet to this lack of coordination and irresponsibility is just shocking. Most importantly however, this is primarily a betrayal of the millions in our country who live on the frontlines of climate change, and who would like to believe that these officials, who are sent to these events at a significant cost, would fight for their rights.
COP30 is no school assembly that requires a principal to begin proceedings but rather a global stage where we should be seizing the moment. Instead, what we have offered is a masterclass in bureaucratic delay, finger-pointing, and wasted public funds.
Over this bureaucratic delay, we have heard of youth-led events cancelled and international delegates turned away, with even designated focal points skipping key sessions. That officials denied responsibility or cited “pressing national priorities” begs the question: What could be more pressing than representing Bangladesh at the world’s most important climate summit?
As a nation where millions of its people are battling climate-related crises on a regular basis, it is truly frustrating how we are signaling that our climate leadership is hollow and simply out of touch with the needs of our nation.
To any ministry or any official who had a hand in this debacle, it is time to get your act together. Our nation deserves better.
