Countries Not Responsible for Climate Crisis Must Not Be Forced to Take Loans: Khalilur Rahman

Countries that are not responsible for climate change but are suffering the most from its effects should not be forced to take new loans to get climate finance, Bangladesh Foreign Minister and President of the 81st UN General Assembly Khalilur Rahman has said. He said climate finance must reach those who need it most, and the interests of the most vulnerable countries must be given priority.

He made the remarks on Wednesday (November 11) at a high-level event organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat on the sidelines of the UN climate conference COP31 in Antalya, Turkey.

Khalilur Rahman said grants should be given priority in climate finance for small island states and other climate-vulnerable countries. He also stressed the need to make the process of getting climate finance easier. He called for fewer required documents and faster approval. He also called for stronger national institutions so that countries can turn their climate plans into projects that can be implemented and funded. He said a country’s income alone should not be used to decide its access to climate finance. The risks and damage caused by climate change must also be given importance. He also said women and young people must be included at every stage of climate finance decisions, planning and implementation.

Khalilur Rahman further said the UN General Assembly would continue to promote these priorities until the 2027 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit. He said joint action should be taken now to make climate finance easier to access and more effective in meeting the real needs of climate-vulnerable countries.

The UN climate conference COP31 is being held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20. The conference is focusing on dealing with climate change losses, increasing adaptation capacity and ensuring finance for vulnerable countries.