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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held a courtesy meeting with Alois Zwinggi, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the World Economic Forum, in Dalian, China.
During the meeting held at 5 PM local time on Tuesday (June 23) at the Dalian International Conference Center, Alois Zwinggi congratulated Tarique Rahman on assuming the office of Prime Minister.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister commended the World Economic Forum’s various initiatives in combating climate change. He also called for coordinated efforts to assist climate-vulnerable delta nations and countries threatened by rising sea levels, including Bangladesh.
Tarique Rahman stated that Bangladesh has undertaken an initiative to plant 250 million trees in the next five years. Additionally, various programs are being implemented to restore water flow by re-excavating approximately 20,000 kilometers of rivers and canals, reduce flood risks, and protect the environment.
Highlighting the government’s plans in the renewable energy sector, he mentioned that tax benefits have been provided for solar power generation, and a target has been set to produce 20 percent of the country’s total electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030.
In response, Alois Zwinggi expressed interest in leveraging Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s experience and initiatives in combating climate change at a global level. He stated that Bangladesh’s climate resilience and sustainable development activities would be able to attract international financial institutions and investors.
He assured that the issues raised by Bangladesh would be given serious consideration and pledged continued necessary cooperation from the World Economic Forum.
During the meeting, Alois Zwinggi invited the Prime Minister to participate in the World Economic Forum’s annual conference in Davos, Switzerland.
Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Ashik Chowdhury, and Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon were present at the meeting.