LCG meets today Govt to seek donors' confirmation on aid to climate change fund

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FE Report
The government is likely to seek financial assistance from international agencies for the proposed climate change fund in a meeting of the highest forum of the donors today (Tuesday) in Dhaka, officials said Monday.
"As the government in the London conference has apprised about the impact of the global warming in Bangladesh and necessary funds required for fighting natural calamities, it will now seek confirmation of the donors' contribution to the proposed trust fund," an official of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said.
The meeting will be chaired by the local consultative group (LCG) chairperson and country director of the World Bank, Xian Zhu. ERD secretary, also the co-chairperson of the LCG Aminul Islam Bhuiyan will also be present.
"We'll brief the donors about the outcome of the London conference on climate change and Accra conference on aid effectiveness as some of the donors working in Bangladesh were not present in those conferences," said ERD secretary Aminul Islam Bhuiyan.
He said any assurance for financial assistance to Bangladesh by donors in the LCG meeting Tuesday would be welcome, Mr. Bhuiyan said.
The London conference on climate change was held on September 10 and the Accra conference in Ghana on aid effectiveness on September 2-4 last.
Only Britain pledged 75 million pounds ($130 million) for the proposed climate change fund in the London conference to help Bangladesh fight the effects of climate change.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Experts say it is experiencing more rainfall, flooding and droughts, as well as cyclones as a direct result of global warming.
Last year widespread flooding and a devastating cyclone caused crop and infrastructure damage worth US$ 2.8 billion -- around four percent of Bangladesh's gross domestic product -- according to a World Bank study.
Bangladesh's government said the very existence of the country was at stake due to the global warming.
The ERD official said the government at the LCG meeting Tuesday will also brief about the Accra meeting on Aid Effectiveness and is likely to seek assistance for the trade promotion under the World Trade Organisation regime as a least developed country (LDC).
The ERD official said the government will also seek food support from the development partners especially from the World Food Programme (WPFP) to offset country's food deficit and for safety net programmes for the ultra- poor.