BD envoy joins 'Diplomacy for Sustainability' panel at Athens

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic Nahida Rahman Shumona joined a panel discussion titled “Diplomacy for Sustainability” at the 4th Effective Dialogue Conference held at the Stelios Foundation Conference Hall in Athens on Thursday (September 24).

Organised by Team Sympraxis in partnership with WHEN (Equity Empowerment Change), the session brought together four women ambassadors from three continents — the ambassadors of Australia, Finland, Austria and Bangladesh.

The conference brought together diplomats, experts and civil society leaders for discussions on global disruptions, climate action and inclusion.

Speaking at the panel, Ambassador Shumona highlighted that Bangladesh was born in 1971 out of a struggle for dignity and self-determination. Drawing on her diplomatic postings in Canberra, Kolkata, Ottawa, Brasília and Bandar Seri Begawan, she said modern ambassadors must act as interpreters of interconnected global crises between their home capitals and host countries.

She underscored the different ways sustainability is viewed across the world. While wealthier democracies focus on decarbonisation and energy transition financing, countries in the Global South such as Bangladesh see sustainability as inseparable from survival, coastal protection, climate displacement and resilient agriculture.

The ambassador warned against allowing geopolitical shifts to push social inclusion and climate finance off the global agenda.

Reflecting on different national vulnerabilities, Ambassador Shumona said Bangladesh’s “Achilles heel” is its extreme geographic vulnerability and population density, while its greatest resource remains its people, community-level resilience and decades of expertise in disaster preparedness.

The discussion also compared Greece’s position at the crossroads of European policymaking, migration, economic recovery and climate exposure with structural challenges faced in South Asia. It also highlighted lessons from Bangladesh on female empowerment, the shared challenge of undervalued care work and the need for long-term pathways for women’s leadership.

Concluding her remarks, Ambassador Shumona said diplomacy’s true value lies in patient, relationship-based cooperation and South-South knowledge transfer. Pointing to Bangladesh’s leadership in the Climate Vulnerable Forum, she stressed that diplomacy works best by building shared ownership of solutions and connecting local community needs with international resources.

-AH