Aziz terms climate confce successful
Friday, 12 September 2008
LONDON, Sept 11 (UNB): Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam said the UK-Bangladesh Climate Conference was successful in sensitising the international community about the danger facing Bangladesh due to perilous impact of the changes in the climate.
"Our intention was twofold -- one was to sensitise the international community about the danger facing Bangladesh and the second about Bangladesh's determination to meet climate-change challenges despite resource constraints," he told a post-conference reception at the Royal Geographical Society Wednesday evening.
Dr Aziz, who led a 39-member Bangladesh delegation to the high-level conference, proposed Multi-Donor Trust Fund to mobilise money from the world community to support the country's efforts to mitigate and adapt to the climate change.
Besides, he said, the Bangladesh government had set up a dedicated fund with initial capital of 45 million US dollars.
"We need external assistance and we are not sitting idle, we are trying to mobilise fund from our own resources," he said, expressing the hope that after the conference the international community would extend wholehearted support to implementation of Bangladesh Climate Change Action Plans.
At the conference, the UK has pledged a new funding of 75 million pounds sterling to support the adaptation programmes in Bangladesh.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his message praised Bangladesh' s adaptation programme, saying that the world community should look at Bangladesh as a "global leader" in adaptation.
However, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed was worried that Bangladesh poverty-reduction process might face a setback if the world community did not take immediate and effective action.
Dr Aziz and UK International Development Minister Alexander Douglas signed a joint communiqué urging the rich world to help LDCs, including Bangladesh, to combat the adverse impact of the climate change seriously affecting the livelihood and food security in the country.
"Our intention was twofold -- one was to sensitise the international community about the danger facing Bangladesh and the second about Bangladesh's determination to meet climate-change challenges despite resource constraints," he told a post-conference reception at the Royal Geographical Society Wednesday evening.
Dr Aziz, who led a 39-member Bangladesh delegation to the high-level conference, proposed Multi-Donor Trust Fund to mobilise money from the world community to support the country's efforts to mitigate and adapt to the climate change.
Besides, he said, the Bangladesh government had set up a dedicated fund with initial capital of 45 million US dollars.
"We need external assistance and we are not sitting idle, we are trying to mobilise fund from our own resources," he said, expressing the hope that after the conference the international community would extend wholehearted support to implementation of Bangladesh Climate Change Action Plans.
At the conference, the UK has pledged a new funding of 75 million pounds sterling to support the adaptation programmes in Bangladesh.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his message praised Bangladesh' s adaptation programme, saying that the world community should look at Bangladesh as a "global leader" in adaptation.
However, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed was worried that Bangladesh poverty-reduction process might face a setback if the world community did not take immediate and effective action.
Dr Aziz and UK International Development Minister Alexander Douglas signed a joint communiqué urging the rich world to help LDCs, including Bangladesh, to combat the adverse impact of the climate change seriously affecting the livelihood and food security in the country.