Bangladesh has donated 20,000 trees to the Maldives in support of the country's environmental conservation efforts and national tree planting campaign.
The symbolic handover took place at Lonuziyaaraiy Park in Malé, where Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman officially presented the trees to Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam and Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Ali Shareef. The three ministers also marked the occasion by planting trees at the park.
Addressing the ceremony, Minister Ali Shareef said the donation would make a significant contribution to the Government's ambitious Five Million Trees Programme, which aims to plant five million trees across the Maldives over the next five years.
He noted that the initiative followed discussions with Bangladesh's environment minister and expressed appreciation to the Government of Bangladesh for swiftly arranging the donation after talks between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam said the generous contribution demonstrates the strong and longstanding friendship between the Maldives and Bangladesh, while also reflecting the two countries' shared commitment to protecting the environment for future generations.
Bangladesh's Foreign Minister, Dr Khalilur Rahman, said both the Maldives and Bangladesh face similar challenges from climate change, making environmental cooperation increasingly important. He noted that Bangladesh has a longstanding tradition of donating trees to friendly nations and said the latest contribution symbolises the close and enduring relationship between the two countries.
The donation is the largest tree contribution ever received by the Maldives from a foreign country. The previous largest donation was 1,000 trees provided by Sri Lanka.
The shipment includes three varieties of trees comprising shade trees, flowering trees and fruit-bearing trees, which will be used to support greening efforts across the country.
