Solidarity needs to face global challenges

Diplomatic Correspondent: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shariar Alam MP has called for strengthening global solidarity and adopting a well-coordinated response to address and overcome the ongoing challenges of the ongoing multiple and interlinked challenegs.
“As a member of the Champions of the Global Crisis Response Group, my Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working with other global leaders to chart a global response commensurate with the scale and gravity of the crises,” he said.
Shahriar was addressing a ministerial roundtable titled “Accelerating achievement of the SDGs by 2030: addressing on-going crises and overcoming challenges” at the high-level political forum (HLPF) 2022 at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.
The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima and high-level official were present at the event.
Highlighting the impacts of multiple and overlapping crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the war in Ukraine, along with other protracted conflicts, the State Minister said, “In Bangladesh, we have been able to show strong resilience to tackle the impacts of these crises.”
He said Bangladesh rolled out 22 billion dollars of stimulus to keep our economy afloat. “The social safety net was extensively expanded. Besides, we also spent billions of dollars on vaccines”.
The State Minister said Bangladesh’s “whole-of-society” approach, national data repository system, SDG tracker, and localization efforts have paved the way to accelerate the SDGs implementation.
Putting spotlight on Bangladesh’s innovative, inclusive, and people-centered adaptation strategies, the State Minister stressed on the high importance of global solidarity and partnership to tackle the adverse impacts of Climate Change.
In this connection, he mentioned that Bangladesh has emerged as a role model for disaster risk response and crisis management.
The State Minister urged the leading UN agencies, development partners, as well as multilateral donors, and the private sector to come forward to support national efforts, especially of the most vulnerable countries, by providing additional financial and technological support to put the countries back on a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive recovery track.
Earlier, he held bilateral meetings with Khalid Najim, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning of Iraq; Maria Ubach i Font, Foreign Minister of Andorra; Dr. Vince Henderson, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, Climate resilience, Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy of Dominica; Mondli Gungubele, Minister for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of South Africa; Karoline EDTSTADLER, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria; Viliami Va’inga Tone, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tonga to the UN; and, Samuelu Laloniu, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the UN.
He discussed issues of mutual interests including Bangladesh’s candidature for the election of Human Rights Council for 2022-23.
He is expected to meet with the Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs of Venezuela and the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan.
The State Minister is leading a high-level Bangladesh Delegation to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2022, which is being held at the UN Headquarters in New York.