PM for involving women in tackling climate change challenges

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaking Tuesday at a meeting of Bangladeshi expatriates living in Rome. — PID Photo

ROME, Nov 18 (UNB): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday stressed the importance of involving women in the process of tackling the challenges of global climate change.
Sheikh Hasina said this while making her opening remarks as the Co-chair of the roundtable titled 'Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Challenges for Agriculture and Food Security' at the World Summit on Food Security 2009' at the Headquarters of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Tuesday.
Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury was also present.
Sheikh Hasina in her address said the women must have equal access to information, skill development, market linkages, technology and financial resources to effectively participate in climate change initiatives.
"They have knowledge in agriculture, food security and therefore, must be involved in policy, planning, programme design, implementation of monitoring-related climate change issues at all levels," Hasina said.
She voiced concern for the women as they were disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, yet they play a major role in adaptation and mitigation in agriculture.
"Rural women are responsible for half of world's food production, producing 60-80 percent of foods in most developing countries," Hasina told the roundtable.
She also drew attention to the green technologies, including indigenous ones and crop varieties attuned to climate change, fertilizer use and water conservation technology, organic agriculture, fishing and livestock breeding suitable under various agro climatic conditions for successfully facing the climate threats. "Such innovation must be ecologically sound, environmentally sustainable and low cost, and those which can be easily adopted by rural farmers in developing countries and LDCs." Hasina said though Bangladesh's greenhouse gas contribution was negligible, it had become one of its worst victims. "With increased frequency and erratic pattern of floods, cyclones, droughts and weather conditions, Bangladesh development plans have been frustrated and budgeted resources diverted to humanitarian support." "We recognize the need to adapt to climate change and save our agriculture, fisheries and forestry, ensure food availability and stop migration of persons displaced by climate change to overburden cities," she said.
She told the roundtable that her government had adopted a National Programme of Action and a Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan with a total of 134 action plans.
Besides, the Bangladesh government also established a US$ 100 million climate change fund and a multi-donor trust fund with contributions from friends abroad.
As the world population is growing and expected to cross 9 billion by 2050, the world would require more food.
Besides, she said, climate change migrants were growing at an unprecedented rate with increased floods, cyclones, droughts, sea-level rise and salinity and other calamities, she said.
Hasina reiterated that MVCs and LDCs did not want adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer support to be in one basket. "We don' t consider equitable to put all developing countries, including advanced ones, with MVCs and LDCs in one group while considering financial benefits."
Hasina said the important matter was to contain deforestation, land degradation, support improved animal farming, plant production and assist developing countries, especially MVCs and LDCs, with eco-friendly technology transfers and capacity building. She said sharing of agricultural technology could contribute towards saving the environment and increasing agricultural production.