Indo-Pacific minister of UK arrives in country

The United Kingdom's Indo-Pacific Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan arrived in Dhaka yesterday on her first visit to Bangladesh to discuss security, democracy, human rights, trade and the Rohingya crisis.

She will meet Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen as well as hold talks with civil society organisations, humanitarian actors, climate experts, and business groups.

She will also sign the UK-Bangladesh Climate Accord, which aims to enhance cooperation in climate action bilaterally and multilaterally, to help deliver the outcomes of COP26 and COP27, the UK High Commission said in a statement yesterday.

Minister Trevelyan will also visit Cox's Bazar to have a first-hand observation of the UK's humanitarian support for Rohingya people in the camps. She earlier set out how the UK is supplying food for 449,000 people living in the camps this month through the World Food Programme.

The statement said as Bangladesh continues its development trajectory, the visit aims to celebrate the success and solidify the close links between the two countries for the years ahead, especially during Bangladesh's crucial election year.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan said, "The UK has been proud to stand as a close partner of Bangladesh for over 51 years. From trade and investment to defence, climate action, and humanitarian collaboration, our relationship is rooted in our shared principles. Through my visit, I look forward to strengthening our close and valued partnership even further."

She will also meet representatives of the Global Centre on Adaptation, which is working to help local communities take the lead in building their resilience to climate change impacts. They are also helping source more finance for climate adaptation projects.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson said the visit by Ann-Marie reaffirms the UK's commitment to Bangladesh and shared ambitions for the future of the partnership.