PM calls for robust commitments by large carbon emitting nations

NEW YORK, Sept 23 (UNB): Expressing Bangladesh's firm commitment to low-carbon, climate-resilient development path, Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina said Tuesday the large carbon emitting countries should make robust voluntary commitments to match countries like Bangladesh.

She also said Bangladesh would never exceed the average per capita emission of the developing world.

"As I said in New York (in 2012), let me re-assure, as a responsible member of the international community, Bangladesh will never exceed the average per capita emission of the developing world.

"It is our firm commitment to (follow) low-carbon, climate-resilient development path. The large emitting countries should reciprocate, by robust voluntary commitments, (gestures) from countries like ours," Hasina said while addressing the UN Climate Summit Roundtable here in the morning.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Mayor of the City of New York Bill de Blasio, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr  Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of Generation Investment Management and the Climate Reality Project and former US Vice President Al Gore, actress and UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador Li Bingbing, actor and UN Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio and Civil Society Representative from the Marshall Islands Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner also spoke at the roundtable.

Sheikh Hasina said in recent years, Bangladesh has undertaken significant steps as the country now has some 3.2 million Solar Home Systems and over 1.5 million Improved Cook Stoves across Bangladesh.