Staff Correspondent
Recently, The EU Delegation to Bangladesh and the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka co-organised a
roundtable on “Youth as Agents of Change.” The aims were to discuss the role of youth in addressing
climate change ahead of this year’s international climate summit, COP29, and to highlight how young
leaders can influence policies and actions in Bangladesh and abroad.
The EU Ambassador Michael Miller, and Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks, along with with the Italian
Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, and representatives from the EU Member States Germany, Italy,
France, Denmark and the Netherlands, offered a platform for an open and equal dialogue with 18 youth
representatives from various organisations, each actively engaged in the COP process. The central
theme throughout the dialogue was that climate change mitigation and adaptation need to go hand in
hand. All parties must make greater efforts to integrate and mainstream climate change adaptation and
resilience into relevant existing policies, strategies, and actions.
In the evening, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate
Change, and the Ministry of Water Resources, joined as Chief Guest. The Adviser emphasised the role of
youth, stating, “Youth in Bangladesh have always been powerful change makers, as history shows,” and
called for equitable climate solutions and global support to enhance Bangladesh’s resilience. She
highlighted the government’s commitment to further engage youth in climate action and urged all
developed countries to follow through on their commitments to climate finance and technological
support for countries on the frontlines of climate vulnerability.
“The EU calls for an ambitious and balanced COP29 outcome that keeps the 1.5°C temperature goal
within reach, in light of the best available science, moves us all forward towards long-term resilience,
and includes agreement on an effective, achievable, and ambitious new collective quantified goal,” said
EU Ambassador Miller, who also emphasized the importance of following through with the outcomes of
COP28 in Dubai.
“At COP29, the EU will continue to stress the importance of scaling up mitigation ambition and
implementation in this critical decade. This is the only way we can achieve the goal of limiting global
warming to 1.5°C. If we do not reach this goal, the consequences will be severe for climate- and disaster-
vulnerable countries like Bangladesh,” added Swedish Ambassador Weeks.
“Financing from the Global North shouldn’t hinder the right to development for any country, including
the country who will finance. At the same time, the right to development should address the most
vulnerable,” said Farzana Faruk Jhumu, Youth Advocate from UNICEF Bangladesh.
“We, the youth, want to ensure climate justice for Bangladesh and the world. We need to be integrated
into the government processes, especially the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) in a more
formalised way. The government needs to provide youth with avenues to become well-informed in
order for youth to contribute more meaningfully,” said youth climate activist, Amanullah Porag, who
founded and heads the initiative, Youth4NDCs.
The event brought together civil society, academia, Team Europe partners and youth climate leaders, as
well as representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, and the Ministry
of Water Resources.
The EU and its Member States are major financiers of climate adaptation. Their climate partnerships are
rooted in the belief that all parties should protect, respect, and promote human rights; the right to a
clean, healthy, and sustainable environment; and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities,
migrants, children and youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, and people in vulnerable
situations. These partnerships also emphasize gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls,
and intergenerational equity.