Climate expert Prof Dr Saleemul Huq says that the international community must act and support the worst affected and least responsible nations with "funding and solutions" to deal with climate change impacts. Climate change unequally impacts vulnerable nations and indiscriminately creates global crises causing chaos, new poverty and violation of human rights. “COP27 must make good on this agenda,” said Prof Saleemul, Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) expert advisory group, speaking at a report launching event on Wednesday.   The flagship report entitled “Climate Vulnerability Monitor, 3rd edition: A Planet on Fire”, commissioned by the CVF and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance of the CVF presented stark proof that climate change impacts generate loss and damage, globally creating crises for society, human health and development. Prof Saleemul said the Climate Vulnerability Monitor provides them with the anatomy of the loss and damage the world now lives with because of decades of insufficient climate inaction by rich, powerful and responsible countries. He said the detailed impact data and evidence presented by the CVM3 provides sobering reading on just how bad the situation already is, and how much worse it will become with fast rising global health risks, extreme heat events, and economic shocks, to name a few. Read more: Bangladesh to be voice of climate vulnerable countries: FM “Loss and damage have become the biggest risk to global prosperity in the present age,” Prof Saleemul quoted as saying in a message received from Accra, Ghana.   Disclosing comprehensive new data on the impact of climate change, the report also highlighted the asymmetric consequences for society which deepen global inequalities with poorer and more vulnerable nations the hardest hit. Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Board of Global Center on Adaptation and 8th UN secretary-general, said with this third edition “CVM” they see clearly just how much humanity finds itself at the crossroads. Sadly, we have become a “Planet on Fire”, as the report’s title highlights. Read more: "Loss and damage has become the biggest risk to global prosperity in the present age" “If we do not act now, by the end of the century, millions of lives would be lost every single year because of scorching heat,” said the former UN secretary general.  

Representatives of the UN and its member states have lauded the remarkable progress of Bangladesh saying it has made tremendous strides over the past five decades and become a development miracle. They came up with the recognition during the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence on Friday. The event was organised by the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in a virtual platform. High-level representatives of the United Nations Headquarters, Permanent Missions of different countries and UN agencies along with other dignitaries of the international community attended the virtual reception. In his video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recognised the tremendous strides made by Bangladesh over the past five decades, particularly on issues of social development and disaster preparedness. He acknowledged Bangladesh’s valuable role on the world stage as the largest troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations, as Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and also as a host to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. “We’ll continue to stand with Bangladesh in tackling the climate crisis and working for the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the UN chief.

Speakers at a programme here on Thursday urged the global community to play a stronger role for the sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine state of Myanmar.