Where the Community Comes Together

Ulaanbator, Mongolia, August 29, 2026: Bangladesh's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP

Ulaanbator, Mongolia, August 29, 2026: Bangladesh's Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP, held four important bilateral meetings at the 17th Conference of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCD COP17) side line on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCD COP17).

It is essential to strengthen regional and international partnerships in addressing the challenges of climate change and land degradation. Bangladesh is also interested in learning from the successful initiatives of the concerned countries, as well as sharing its experience and capabilities with the partner countries.

The bilateral discussions and exchange of cooperation initiatives were attended by H.E. Nasreen Fatema Awal, Honorary Consul General, Honorary Consulate of Mongolia to Bangladesh, who contributed to facilitating and strengthening the diplomatic engagement and cooperation between Bangladesh and Mongolia.

The meeting with the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, H.E. Mr. Bhupender Yadav, on 24 August focused on enhancing the long-term environmental and climate cooperation between the two countries. The discussion also included the potential for cooperation in renewable energy, remote sensing and GIS technology, and improving technical capabilities for the coastal region of the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal. The meeting also discussed the potential for cooperation in renewable energy, battery energy storage, soil-sustainable renewable energy technology, and environmentally friendly energy management.

During the meeting held last Tuesday with the Foreign Minister of Mongolia H.E Battsetseg Batmunkh, the bilateral relations between the two countries were further deepened, and the possibility of strengthening diplomatic representation by opening embassies in both countries was discussed. In this context, the potential for safe and regular employment of skilled and semi-skilled workers of Bangladesh in construction, services, agriculture, processing food, medicine, and manufacturing was also discussed. In this regard, the government-to-government arrangement, recognition of skills, and ensuring the safety of expatriate workers were emphasized.

The Deputy Director (Operations) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ugochi Daniels, met with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia, H.E. Mr. Sandag-Ochir Tsend, yesterday to discuss the need to make international cooperation more effective in addressing the challenges of climate change and enhancing the capacity of the global community for climate change adaptation and sustainable migration. The discussion focused on developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on climate change cooperation. The potential areas of cooperation identified include land restoration, biodiversity, climate adaptation, sustainable natural resource management, and capacity building.

Bangladesh expresses interest in learning from the experience of managing mangrove forests, controlling desertification, and maintaining drought tolerance. It also expresses interest in collaborating with the country and organizations to further strengthen practical cooperation in the context of the Joint Research and Pilot Project, including GIS, remote sensing, drought prevention, expert exchange, training, joint research, and pilot projects.

The Minister of Environment expresses hope that the continuity of these meetings held under the C-17 side line will further strengthen practical cooperation with the concerned countries and organizations, and Bangladesh's international partnership in environmental, climate resilience, and sustainable development will reach new levels.