Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (January 23, 2023) urged the World Bank and other international organizations to strengthen their support for countries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, and climate change. The PM said this when World Bank Managing Director for Operations, Axel van Trotsenburg, paid a courtesy call on her at her office this morning. PM’s speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting. Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh had achieved an impressive 8-plus percent GDP growth before Covid-19 broke out, but it declined due to the pandemic. When Bangladesh was regaining the growth momentum, it was hit hard again by the Russia-Ukraine war. Read more: World Bank: Recession a looming threat for global economy Developing countries like Bangladesh are dealing with the challenges brought about the economic fallout, including soaring food and fuel prices, she said. The PM focused on her government’s measures and endeavours to fight the climate change, including projects undertaken with financing from Climate Trust Fund, to mitigate the adverse impacts by creating green-belt, afforestation, sustainable housing and livelihood. She said developed countries shares responsibility for climate change but unfortunately, they are not complying with their commitments to assist the climate vulnerable countries. BANGLADESH MADE INCREDIBLE DEVELOPMENT: WB MANAGING DIRECTOR The World Bank Managing Director praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for Bangladesh’s incredible development journey under her leadership. The per capita income in Bangladesh was only some US $50 in 1972, which is now US $2824, he added. Read more: World Bank okays $250m for Bangladesh for better environmental management, green investments Talking about the current context, Axel van Trotsenburg said that developing countries like Bangladesh need to create employment opportunities for youths to face the current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. Employment generation is also needed for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he added. He said the World Bank has been assisting Bangladesh since 1972 and will continue to stand beside the country. “I’ve come here to strengthen the World Bank’s partnership with Bangladesh,” said the WB senior official. Read More: World Bank a key partner of Bangladesh’s economic growth: Finance Minister About the development of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said the country has gained fast development in the last 14 years thanks to the continuation of political stability, the government’s tireless efforts to implement its political visions and its desire to work for the people. PM’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammd Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, and Finance Senior Secretary Fatima Yasmin were present at the meeting.

The World Economic Forum is back with its first winter meetup since 2020 in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, where leaders are seeking to bridge political divisions in a polarized world, buttress a hobbling economy and address concerns about a climate change — among many other things. Sessions will take up issues as diverse as the future of fertilizers, the role of sports in society, the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and much more. Nearly 600 CEOs and more than 50 heads of state or government are expected, but it's never clear how much concrete action emerges from the elite event. Here’s what to watch as the four-day talkfest and related deal-making get underway in earnest Tuesday: WHO’S COMING? Back in the snows for the first time since the pandemic and just eight months after a springtime 2022 session, the event will host notables like European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, and the new presidents of South Korea, Colombia and the Philippines. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He addresses the gathering Tuesday, a day before his first meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in Zurich. Yellen will skip Davos. Who else is missing? U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Russian President Vladimir Putin, of course: Envoys from his country has been shunned because of his war in Ukraine. Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska was on her way to Davos and will speak Tuesday, while her husband, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will give a remote address Wednesday and other officials from Ukraine are appearing on panels. Read more: Business trusted most in a more polarized world, report says Outside the main convention center, a themed venue known as Ukraine House is hosting a concert, photo exhibits, seminars, cocktail events and other meetings this week to drum up support for Ukraine’s efforts to drive out Russian forces. ECONOMIC FOCUS The slowdown in the global economy will be a major theme at Davos, with officials ranging from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde speaking in sessions. Inflation soared as the world reopened from the pandemic and Russia invaded Ukraine, driving up food and energy prices, and though it has started to slow in major economies like the U.S. and those in Europe, inflation is still painfully high. Georgieva said in an IMF blog post Monday that divides between nations — the theme at Davos this year is “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” — are putting the global economy at risk by leaving “everyone poorer and less secure.” Georgieva urged strengthening trade, helping vulnerable countries deal with debt and ramping up climate action. PRIORITIZING CLIMATE A major climate theme emerging from the forum’s panel sessions is the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore will be talking about decarbonization, efforts to build clean energy infrastructure and ensure an equitable transition. It follows a strong year for the energy transition: Many countries passed incentives for renewable energy in 2022. One hot topic on the agenda — harnessing nuclear fusion — focuses on science that offers immense potential but is many decades away from a commercial rollout that could feed the world’s skyrocketing thirst for energy. Sessions on issues like adaptation to climate change and panels on deforestation, biodiversity and the future of environmental protection will give a greener hue to the gathering. CRITICAL VOICES The elite gathering is regularly skewered by critics who argue that attendees are too out-of-touch or profit- or power-minded to address the needs of common people and the planet. Throughout the week, critics and activists will be waiting outside the Davos conference center to try to hold decision-makers and business leaders to account. Read more: Robust leadership, political trust fortified Dhaka-Ankara economic, defence ties: Turan It started Sunday, when dozens of climate activists — some with clown makeup — braved snowfall to wave banners and chant slogans at the end of the Davos Promenade, a thoroughfare now lined with storefront logos of corporate titans like Accenture, Microsoft, Salesforce, Meta, as well as country “houses” that promote national interests. Greenpeace International also blasted use of corporate jets that ferry in bigwigs, saying such carbon-spewing transportation smacks of hypocrisy for an event touting its push for a greener world. It said over 1,000 private-jet flights arrived and departed airports serving Davos in May. Forum President Borge Brende acknowledged Sunday that some government leaders and CEOs fly in that way. "I think what is more important than that is to make sure we have agreements on how we, overall, move and push the envelope when it comes to the green agenda,” he said.

The fate of a tiny village has sparked heated debate in Germany over the country’s continued use of coal and whether tackling climate change justifies breaking the law. Environmental activists have been locked in a standoff with police who started eviction operations on Wednesday in the hamlet of Luetzerath, west of Cologne, that’s due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. Some stones and fireworks were thrown at officers in riot gear, who could be seen dismantling stalls set up by protesters. Protesters refused Tuesday to heed a court ruling effectively banning them from the area. Some dug trenches, built barricades and perched atop giant tripods in an effort to stop heavy machines from reaching the village, before police pushed them back by force. “People are putting all of their effort, all of their lives into this struggle to keep the coal in the ground,” said Dina Hamid, a spokesperson for the activist group Luetzerath Lives. “If this coal is burned, we’re actually going to take down our climate goals,” she said. “So we’re trying to, with our bodies, protect the climate goals.” The debate flared up hours later at a townhall meeting in nearby Erkelenz, when one regional official accused activists of being willing to “spill human blood” to defend the now-abandoned village. Also Read: Climate activists dig in to defend village from coal mine Stephan Pusch, who heads the district administration, said that while he sympathized with the protesters’ aims, the time had come to give up Luetzerath. The village’s last resident left in 2022 after being forced to sell to utility company RWE. “You’ve achieved your goal. Now clear the pitch,” he said to jeers from the room. Many disagreed, arguing that the village is more than just a potent symbol for the need to stop global warming. Studies indicate that about 110 million metric tons of coal could be extracted from beneath Luetzerath. The government and RWE say this coal is needed to ensure Germany’s energy security — squeezed by the cut in supply of Russian gas due to the war in Ukraine. Critics counter that burning so much coal would make it much harder for Germany, and the world, to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) as agreed in the 2015 Paris climate accord. “Nobody wants to be out there in the cold right now, defending a forest or a village,” said Maya Rollberg, a 26-year-old student who had traveled from southern Germany. “But I think that people have realized that they have to do that in order to (protect) future generations.” Dietmar Jung, a retired priest attending the meeting, said he was tired of hearing officials say the law was on the side of RWE. “They keep going back to the legal situation,” he said. “But the right to live doesn’t play a role here (for them).” Pusch, the regional administration chief, warned protesters that intentionally breaking the law wouldn’t help their cause in a country where the violent seizure of power and the horrors of dictatorship are still within living memory. “I’ll tell you honestly that I’m scared my children will grow up in a world that isn’t worth living in anymore,” he said. “But I’m at least as scared of my children growing up in a country where everyone takes the law into their own hands.” “You won’t save the world’s climate on your own,” said Pusch. “(We’ll) only do so if we manage to take the majority of the population with us.” Similar debates over how far civil disobedience can go have taken place in Germany and elsewhere in recent months amid a wave of road blockades and other dramatic actions by protesters demanding tougher measures to combat climate change. Some climate activists say the law is ultimately on their side, citing a 2021 ruling by the country’s supreme court that forced the government to step up its effort to cut emissions. They also note the legally binding nature of Germany’s commitments under the Paris accord. Speaking after the townhall meeting, student Jannis Niethammer acknowledged that the dispute over Luetzerath touches on fundamental issues. “It’s a question of democracy and how do we actually get a democracy to move toward climate protection, toward climate justice,” he said. Janine Wissler, a federal lawmaker and co-leader of the opposition Left party, suggested the way out would be for the government to reverse its decision allowing the village to be razed. “If we want to achieve our climate targets and take the Paris climate agreement seriously, then the coal beneath Luetzerath needs to stay in the ground,” she told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the protest. Wissler criticized an agreement struck last year between the government and utility company RWE to permit mining beneath the village in return for an earlier end to coal use in Germany. Some experts say that, in sum, the deal will lead to higher emissions. “We’re already experiencing droughts, famines and floods. Climate change is happening already,” she said. “And therefore wrong decisions need to be corrected.”

The 32nd meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Affairs Ministry was held at the Sangsad Bhaban on Thursday. With the committee’s President Saber Hossain Chowdhury in the chair, Minister for the concerned ministry Md Shahabuddin and Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar, among others, were present at the meeting. Several issues including expectations and reality from the COP-27 conference, list of owners of hotels, motels, and resorts developed in Saint Martin Island and fix actions regarding the issue, recruitment, promotion, allegation on posting of Directorate of Forest, and System of Environment Accounting (SEEA) including Blue Economy and Poverty Environment Nexus were discussed at the meeting. The committee recommended the ministry present the names of owners who illegally developed hotels, motels and resorts on Saint Martin Island and visit the spot in person. Apart from this, instructions were given to take measures to build a mangrove forest in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar and send a letter to the Khulna deputy commissioner to hand over Sheikh Russell Eco-park to the Forest department. The committee asked the ministry to take initiative to elect a co-chairman from Bangladesh for the next UN-led climate change summit, COP-28, and carry out publicity campaign in this connection. A recommendation was also made to assist the statistics and information management division in providing information and data for the overall cooperation of the SEEA project. Read more: Bangladesh's role in COP27 negotiations highlighted

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Climate adaptation funds support the V20’s funding program with $5.3 million for community-based adaptation activities and will also leverage funding from other sources including those that will provide complementary support to address loss and damage from climate change. The 58 member countries of the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group are at the frontlines of the climate change problem having lost 20% of GDP growth (USD 525 billion) over the last two decades (2000-2019) due to climate-fueled risks. In response, the V20 Group proposed a funding program to deliver multilateral resources to front-line communities to address, avert and minimize the impacts of climate change on those most vulnerable. The proposal, which will support adaptation initiatives in the V20 member countries, secured an initial funding of USD 5.3 million from the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) Council at its 33rd meeting on December 2.  Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance for the Republic of Ghana & Chair of the V20 Group welcomed the partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and highlighted that “we have to take a proactive approach towards doubling adaptation resources by 2025 and ensuring the delivery of resources to frontline communities, enterprises and economies”, a confirmation of the call made by the V20 Ministers of Finance during the Ninth V20 Ministerial Dialogue that was convened in Washington DC in October 2022. He added that “through the GEF, particularly through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the V20 Group aims to mobilize additional resources for climate change adaptation to boost the adaptive capacity in the LDC countries. This is to ensure that we leave no vulnerable community and economy behind”. Read more: COP27: Bangladesh among first recipients of Global Shield financial support According to the V20 Chair, the evolution of the program must include increased mobilization of resources from the GEF’s Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) to secure finance for climate change adaptation for non-LDC climate vulnerable countries. He, therefore, urged the donors of the GEF to scale up resources for both the LDCF and the SCCF to support the economic transformation of climate vulnerable countries which has been necessitated by the climate crisis amongst other global emergencies. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, added that the GEF-managed LDCF and SCCF have an important role in serving the Paris Agreement, which has established a global goal on adaptation to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change. “We commend the decision of the LDCF/SCCF Council to allocate resources to bolster adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change in climate vulnerable countries. By supporting adaptation in V20 countries through micro and community level projects, impacts of climate change will be averted and minimized,” he said. “This is a step in the right direction but compared to the scale of adaptation needed in V20 countries, this funding allocation is modest, and this is where the role of donors becomes critical in further boosting their contributions for the LDCF and SCCF”.  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), an agency of the GEF, will administer this LDCF and SCCF funded project. Read more: V20, G7 reach agreement on financial protection against climate change loss The initial investment of the V20 Funding Program will support a range of adaptation interventions across themes such as agriculture, water, climate information services, and disaster risk reduction including the repair and reconstruction of community infrastructure impacted by extreme weather events to build back better standards.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) Patrick Verkooijen has said investing in climate adaptation is not just the right thing to do; it is also the economically smart thing to do. “Every dollar invested in climate adaptation brings a much higher return on investment,” he said in an interview with UNB noting that Bangladesh is on the frontline of their climate emergency. Patrick said addressing climate change is a national priority for the country, and Bangladesh is recognised internationally for its cutting-edge achievements in addressing climate change. The activities of the Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) were launched on December 11 in Dhaka by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in an event reinforcing the government of Bangladesh’s global leadership on LLA. Read more: Climate Change: Momen urges global community for more support to developing countries A right approach for climate adaptation will save lives, reduce inequality, and create opportunities. GCA’s research has shown that a dollar invested in weather and climate information services gives between 4 and 25 dollars in benefits. One dollar invested in resilient water and sanitation not only saves lives; it creates between 2 and 12 dollars in economic benefits. Patrick said, “We are here to learn. When it comes to adaptation, our best teachers are often those who are on the frontlines of climate change. And few countries have more to teach us than Bangladesh,” he said, adding that there is a lot other countries can learn from Bangladesh’s approach. He said Bangladesh is a “striking example” of how poor communities can be the most innovative in adapting to climate change. “We hope the valuable lessons it has learnt will help the rest of the world adapt to our new climate reality.” “But while Bangladesh has much to teach, we know Bangladesh is keen to learn from the experience of other countries facing similar challenges,” Patrick said, adding that they are grateful to the United Kingdom whose support has made the Global Hub a reality. He said rising seas, floods, and intensifying cyclones are just a few of the impacts that make Bangladesh one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries in the world. Average tropical cyclones cost Bangladesh about $1 billion annually. From 2000 to 2019, Bangladesh suffered economic losses worth $3.72 billion and witnessed 185 extreme weather events due to climate change. read more: New abnormal: Climate disaster damage ‘down’ to $268 billion By 2050, Dr Patrik said, a third of agricultural GDP could be lost and 13 million people could become internal climate migrants. In case of a severe flooding, like we have just seen in Pakistan, GDP could fall by as much as 9 percent. Asked why locally led adaptation is so important, Patrick said, “The reason LLA is so important is that you can’t make top-down national plans without investing in enabling bottom-up inputs from the vulnerable communities so that the plans are implemented without failure.” Bangladesh already has a long history of planning for adaptation to climate change and incorporating those plans into national development programmes such as the Bangladesh National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP), both of which emphasise investment in Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) as a way to achieve transformational adaptation over the next decade. “So, there needs to be a paradigm shift: instead of looking at the vulnerable communities as mere targets or beneficiaries of support from the top, we need to take them as the agents of change themselves who know best what needs to be done, and those who wish to support them must listen to them first,” he said. Asked why Bangladesh is chosen to establish the global hub on locally led adaptation,Patrick said two years ago at the launch of the GCA South Asia office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked for local knowledge and innovations from Bangladesh, and from other countries in the region, to be shared with the rest of the world. Read more: 'With enough foreign funding, Bangladesh can do more to face climate risks' “There was no question in my mind that the Global Hub had to be in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has long been a global leader in Locally Led Adaptation. Rather than accept its destiny – geographical or otherwise, Bangladesh has been at the forefront of preparing for the onslaughts that global warming would surely bring,” he said. Bangladesh was also one of the first countries in the world to set up a national fund – the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) – resourced from national budgetary sources to fund activities on the ground. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan now includes a further commitment to invest in LLA through an LLA funding window in the BCCTF, with preferential access for women, youth, disabled persons, and displaced people. “It also includes a commitment to create national Mujib LLA Hubs as a repository of information on communities, and a forum for discussion and consultation. Both these commitments will contribute to building a locally-grounded foundation for the GCA Global Hub,” Dr Patrik said. Patrick mentioned that with the combined expertise and financial resources of the Global Hub, they can urgently and cost-effectively find ways to help and support those local communities most disrupted by climate change. “We can help them adapt, survive and thrive.” About the long-term plans for this Global Hub on LLA, Patrick said the GCA Global Hub on LLA will have a deliberate focus on the local level, targeting the adaptation-related knowledge and information needs of local communities, governments, practitioners, and other grassroots organisations and champions. It will then expand outwards to encompass the LLA-specific needs of other actors that play a critical role in enabling and empowering LLA, he said. In the first phase of its activities between 2022-2025, Patrick said, the Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation will focus its work on accelerating locally led adaptation across Africa and Asia.

Speakers at a dialogue said communities that depend on fisheries and aquaculture in Bangladesh are at the forefront of climate change impacts. They said small-scale artisanal (traditional) fisheries and aquaculture make an invaluable contribution to the country’s food and nutrition security and the fishing communities need assistance to adapt to the effects of climate change. The speaker came up with remarks at a dialogue on ‘The impact of climate change on the country’s fisheries sector’ held on Sunday at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka to mark the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the lead agency to celebrate the occassion this year in collaboration with other bodies of the United Nations. They said more than one million people in Bangladesh depend on small-scale fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. Nearly 90 percent of all marine capture in Bangladesh is from small-scale or artisanal fishers, they added. Read more: FAO's regional conference endorses 'One Health Approach' Robert D. Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh, said “Small-scale fishers in Bangladesh make an invaluable contribution to the country’s food and nutrition security, as well as the rural economy. FAO is committed to working with Bangladesh to strengthen the fisheries sector, with a focus on helping fishing communities adapt to the effects of climate change.” Norman, FAO’s Senior Technical Advisor for fisheries and climate change, said “Climate change is having profound impacts on fishery and aquaculture-reliant communities and the ecosystems they depend on, especially in tropical regions. Through capacity development and policy reform, FAO in Bangladesh is helping to build resilience in these communities so that they are better able to cope.” Read more: UN: Climate change, depleted resources leave world hungry Small-scale fishers and fish workers account for 90 percent of the people who work worldwide in capture fisheries values chains—with 492 million people depending at least partially on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods, said speakers.    

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today urged the international community to scale up financial and technological support for the developing countries to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the resulting cost-of-living crisis around the world, aggravated by sanctions and counter-sanctions, cannot be a pretext for diminishing or diverting the much needed financing for tackling the climate crisis in order to save planet earth, he said. Speaking at the launching ceremony of the global hub of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), Momen said the government of Bangladesh stands ready to provide full support to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) to achieve the goal of the global hub which is to promote Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) at scale, with speed, to reduce climate risks for populations and sections of society that are most vulnerable to climate change. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the launching ceremony virtually as the chief guest. "The kind presence of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at this launch is clear testimony to our unstinting support," Momen said. Read more: $230bn needed: PM seeks support from global partners to implement climate adaptation plan The Foreign Minister congratulated Ban Ki-moon and the entire GCA team once again. "I feel personally pleased to be able to serve as a member of the GCA Governing Body. The launch of the Global Hub today is indeed a positive step forward from our decision to host the GCA Regional Office in Dhaka. Soon we plan to organize other events," he said. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations and Chair of the Board, Global Center on Adaptation Ban Ki-moon, Chief Executive Officer, Global Center on Adaptation Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen and British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson spoke at the launching ceremony held at Foreign Service Academy. Momen thanked the government of the United Kingdom for its support in establishing the global hub. "I hope, following the UK, other countries/ institutions will come forward with generous funding." Each year, Momen said, more than 6,50,000 people of Bangladesh are being uprooted from their homes, from their traditional jobs, due to erratic climate changes and global warming and river erosion and the government has the responsibility to rehabilitate them although the government has no role in contributing to their uprooting. There are varieties of estimates that say that around 20% of the coastal areas of Bangladesh will be flooded, and there could be millions uprooted from their homes. "If millions of people are uprooted from their homes it will create a global security problem," Momen said, adding that "before such a situation happens, I would request global leaders to come forward to share the burden of their rehabilitation and also take corrective action so that that situation never happens." The Foreign Minister said, "Our journey with GCA is promising and progressing. It pleases me to witness that over a span of just 2 years, GCA and the Bangladesh Government have developed the adaptation activities." Read more: New abnormal: Climate disaster damage ‘down’ to $268 billion Bangladesh is ready to share similar home-grown solutions such as floating agriculture, rainwater harvesting, early warning system, climate resistant crop varieties with other vulnerable countries through this Global Hub, he said.

Drinkwell Bangladesh, a US company providing safe and affordable water directly to residents of densely packed neighbourhoods in Dhaka, has received the Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) 2022 in the climate resilience category. "Drinkwell is building resilience to climate change in Bangladesh, where only about a third of the population has access to safe drinking water. That's critical for avoiding serious waterborne illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever," Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W Fernandez said at the award ceremony in Washington DC early Saturday. "As climate change warms our planet, droughts and rising sea levels are making clean water even scarcer, drying up some sources and contaminating other sources with seawater. So one of Drinkwell's founders developed a water purification system that's cheaper and that's more efficient. And it's easier to operate than other models." Read: Drinkwell, Bangladesh among winners of 2022 US Award for Corporate Excellence "The company has also created a new delivery method, ATM – ATM-style machines – that sell and dispense clean water in Bangladesh and are more accessible for people whose homes aren't connected to water pipes," the under secretary of state said. "For about eight years, since 2015, Drinkwell has created hundreds of jobs for people in Bangladesh and brought almost 200 million gallons of clean water to low-income communities in Dhaka, enough drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people a year." "Drinkwell is also a testament to the power of international exchanges. And one of the company's founders is a Bangladeshi American whose grandfather died of a waterborne illness," Fernandez said. Read More: BAT Bangladesh scoops up ‘ICMAB Best Corporate Award’ for sixth time "He – so he got a Fulbright – he got a Fulbright to study the problem and potential solutions to Bangladesh, and there he met a chemical engineering professor from an American university, and together the two of them went on to found Drinkwell." Earlier, the US Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs announced four winners for this year's edition of the ACE award in the responsible business operations, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth categories. The other winners of the award are Anova Indonesia, Gap India, and Intel Costa Rica. Established in 1999, the ACE recognises the crucial role US companies are playing in elevating higher standards of business conduct. Together, these companies are leading the way in addressing some of the greatest global challenges. Read more: Walton wins ICMAB Best Corporate Award

The UN chief has said the adoption by most nations of the world of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 40 years ago is more relevant than ever as the oceans are now in dire straits. Speaking at a major General Assembly meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention Thursday, António Guterres highlighted the breadth of the accord, spanning from "the air we breathe, to the atmosphere that sustains all life, to the ocean-based industries that employ some 40 million people, to the species that call the ocean home." Among the key provisions of the Convention are the conservation of the world's fisheries, marine protection, the right to resources within 200 nautical miles of national shorelines, and of increasing importance, the sustainable and equitable management of mineral-related activities in international waters. Guterres said around 35 percent of the world's fisheries are simply being overexploited. "Sea levels are rising as the climate crisis continues, and the ocean is acidifying and choked with pollution."Coral reefs are bleaching, "epic floods" threaten coastal cities everywhere, and too often, "people working in ocean-based industries are not accessing the support or safe working conditions they need and deserve." Read: UN chief appeals for more fund from developed countries to help preserve biodiversity The UN chief said the recently adopted Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies needed to be adopted swiftly, ensuring that all policies towards the ocean are "underpinned by the best science and the best economic and social expertise." He said it meant bringing the wisdom and knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities into the Convention, ending what he called the plastic pollution crisis, and concluding next year the agreement on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national borders. The governments should develop laws and policies that put protection and conservation first, while marine industries and investors, should make conservation, protection and climate resilience a top priority, along with worker safety, the UN chief added. Csaba Kőrösi, president of the General Assembly, said the Convention was known by many as the constitution of the oceans. Read: UN chief warns planet is heading toward `climate chaos' "The fact that UNCLOS is just as relevant as ever is a true UN success story. This document can serve as an excellent example of what can be achieved when multilateralism is done right. What global governance can and should look like," he added.