UNB, Dhaka

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has highlighted the adverse effects of global warming that among other factors are negatively contributing towards the rise of climate migrants and refugees.

Bangladesh urged the global community to urgently change the definition of climate migrants and refugees to bring it in line with the UN definition of migrants and refugees.

At the first panel discussion of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held in Antalya, Türkiye yesterday, the foreign minister spoke on global climate change, climate migrant and climate refugee issues.

The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Bangladesh, state minister for foreign affairs of Sri Lanka, and deputy minister for foreign affairs of Vietnam discussed various aspects of the “Building Asia-Pacific Regional Architecture: The Challenge of Unmatching Interests”.

Hasan mentioned that like many small and island nations, Bangladesh has become one of the worst sufferers of climate change and global warming. The entire coastal area of Bangladesh is at the risk of inundation due to the sea level rise and rise of greenhouse gases, he said.

“And this phenomenon is constantly causing climate migration. The issue is now so real that Bangladesh urgently needs the world community to change the definition of climate migrants and refugees,” he said.