Hasina leaves for Madrid to attend the COP25 climate summit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left for the Spanish capital of Madrid on three-day visit during which she will attend the 25th annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more commonly known as COP25.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Dec 2019, 06:38 AM
Updated : 1 Dec 2019, 07:43 AM

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage took off from Shahjalal International Airport at 10.15 am on Sunday.
 
She is scheduled to land at the Torreon Airport in Madrid at 5:40 pm local time.

World Tourism Organisation's resident representative Ambassador Hasan Mahmood Khandaker will receive Hasina at the airport.

After the reception, the prime minister will be escorted to the Hotel Villa Magna where she will stay during her visit.

This year's climate conference will take place between Dec 2 and Dec 13 under the presidency of Chile's Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt with logistical support from the Spanish government.

Hasina is set to attend the inauguration ceremony of COP25 at Feria De Madrid on Monday.

She will later take part in the working session of COP25 before holding a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Hasina will rejoin the working session in the evening after which she is likely to sit for talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Bangladesh leader will then join a reception at the royal palace in the evening hosted by the king and queen of Spain.
COP25 was scheduled to begin in November in Brazil but the Brazilian government withdrew from hosting it due to financial constraints.
Chile subsequently decided to host the conference but it too had to back out as severe anti-government protests erupted in the country. The venue was later changed to Madrid following an understanding between the  United Nations, Chile and Spain.
Bangladesh is one of the countries confronting the adverse affects of climate change. It plays a major role in the global discussion on the issue.
The affected countries will unanimously demand compensation for the consequences of climate change on them during the COP 25 conference, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin.
Hasina will return home on Wednesday.