Special US Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry has acknowledged the threat of the climate issue and highlighted the risks from environmental change faced by Bangladesh.

The US Special Envoy invited Bangladesh to attend the US’ climate summit, which will be held on April 22 in Washington, D.C., so that representatives from the nation can voice their concerns directly.

He said stakeholder nations, such as Bangladesh, need to join developed nations’ climate conferences and bring up their concerns.

Kerry was responding to a question from Shafqat Munir, a research fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and Head of Bangladesh Centre for Terrorism (BCTR) at the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

Munir talked about the threat of rising sea-level on the coast of Bangladesh and how this would cause the displacement of nearly 30 million people, leading to broader security impacts.

Kerry said they would not be able to host everyone but his invitation to Bangladesh, among others, clearly shows the US’ commitment to and emphasis on working with the nation for climate security.

Munir is the first Munich Young Leader from Bangladesh.

Munich Young Leaders is a unique congregation of emerging thought leaders, security analysts and scholars from around the world. He was part of the Munich Young Leaders class of 2017.

The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) has played a significant role in raising Bangladesh’s voice in the international climate security discourse, said a media release on Saturday.

BIPSS has worked extensively on climate security at all international forums and has consistently published on the subject, it said.

The MSC hosted a special virtual session on Friday.

Usually, the MSC meets in-person this time of year. However, a digital conference was hosted due to the pandemic.

The MSC is the world's leading forum for debates on international security policy. It offers a platform for diplomatic initiatives and approaches to counter the most pressing security risks in the world.

US President Joe Biden participated in the conference making him the first US President to speak at the forum since its inception.

He was also joined by the President of France, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Bill Gates, Director General of WHO, NATO Secretary General, the UN Secretary General and many other distinguished dignitaries.

One of the main features of this conference included the participation of Munich Young Leaders in asking these distinguished dignitaries questions regarding the pressing security issues.