Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury said Bangladesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pledges to be partner in creating a resilient world for all, including the youth and child to be born tomorrow.
“At the global level, she (PM) has been a powerful and respected voice for the most climate vulnerable countries and has been resolutely advocating for enhanced adaptation funding which is yet to be delivered as per repeated pledges, critical importance of keeping temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, establishment of the Loss and Damage fund, transfer of technology and needs based means of implementation,” he said.
Saber was delivering speech in the session ii : High Level Transformational Dialogue – A transformed NAP for the Future in NAP EXPO 2024 hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the theme Driving Transformational Adaptation Through National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) on Monday in Dhaka BICC.
The remarkable progress has been achieved despite the manifold impacts of climate change on Bangladesh and her people – ever increasing number of displaced climate refugees, intensity and frequency of natural hazards, flooding, food security, salinity intrusion, droughts, rising sea levels to the south and increased glacial melt in the Hindu Kush Himalayas to the north, water stress, biodiversity loss, said the minister
Despite the enormity of challenges, Bangladesh under the wise and inspiring leadership of Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sees itself not just as a victim of climate change, which it most certainly is, but also as a leader and champion when it comes to solutions and innovations, he added.
Environment Minister said In the current financial year, Bangladesh has allocated almost USD 3.5 billion via 25 line ministries to respond to the impacts of climate change and a National Adaptation Plan between now and 2050 involving an investment of USD 230 billion has been formulated and incorporation of health interventions given its growing nexus with climate change is a work in progress. The comprehensive plan encompasses 113 interventions across 8 thematic sectors under 11 vulnerable areas. The Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF), a first of its kind in the world was set up from the country’s own resources in 2009.
Saber said the Parliament of Bangladesh was the first legislature to adopt a motion on Planetary Emergency, “We have mainstreamed green and climate resilient development in our central planning process, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan which envisages an aspirational pathway from vulnerability to resilience to prosperity is being implemented . Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership (BCDP), a global first that brings together all the development partners, private sector, NGO’s and all stakeholders, including youth and women under one platform to deliver on effective climate action and significantly scaled up funding of Bangladesh led initiatives.”
He said the global community has not delivered on the 100-billion-dollar pledge and neither has adaptation funding been appropriately balanced nor allocated. An agreed definition of climate finance must also be a definitive outcome of COP29 which will have a focus on finance including the New Collective Quantified Goals considering the increasing needs of climate vulnerable countries, small island developing states and of course the LDCs.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, ROBERT E.A. BORJE, Secretary Vice-Chairperson and Executive, Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Director, Office of the President of the Philippines CLIMATE CHANGE COMMISSION also spoke in the session.