DHAKA, June 13, 2020 (BSS) – Bangladesh has joined as a member of
the Steering Committee of the UN Group of Friends on climate
adaptation and resilience.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN, Tareq Md
Ariful Islam participated at the virtual launch of the UN Group in New
York, according to a press release received here from the USA today.
This Group of Friends will serve as a platform where members can
informally discuss adaptation and resilience efforts, share best
practices, highlight major milestones, and be briefed on the issue by
relevant entities and stakeholders.
Egyptian environment minister Dr Yasmine Fouad and Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State for International Development of the UK
Baroness Saag launched the Group as its convenors.
The other members of the Steering Committee are the Netherlands,
Malawi and Saint Lucia.
The group will be a link to wider UNFCCC processes, as well as
support UN efforts to ensure meaningful follow up to the
Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit held on 23 September 2019.
During the meeting, in his statement Islam said adaptation and
resilience building are the keys to tackle the impacts of climate
change in Bangladesh and many other climate vulnerable developing
countries.
“More finance must be directed to, and availability of technology
must be ensured for, global adaptation and resilience building
efforts,” Bangladesh Deputy PR to the UN said.
Informing the participants about Bangladesh’s assumption of the
Presidency of the 48-member Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the
Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of Finance for the term
2020-2022, he stated that Bangladesh would make efforts for achieving
fair and ambitious outcomes on all issues particularly on adaptation
and resilience building in all global forums while leading these
Groups.
He also shared number of Bangladesh’s transformative adaptation
initiatives such as strong early warning system and disaster
preparedness practices, robust disaster management and disaster risk
reduction programmes, invention of drought and salinity resistant
crops, along with the 82-year Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 based on
natural solutions.
The Deputy Secretary General of the UN Amina Muhammad and the UNDP
Administrator Achim Steiner participated in the meeting and welcomed
the launching of the new Group. They mentioned that this Group would
help taking forward the seven adaptation and resilience initiatives
launched at the Summit and the Call for Action to reinforce adaptation
and resilience building.
A considerable number of cross regional countries announced their
joining the Group of Friends on Climate Adaptation and Resilience.
They hoped that this Group of Friends would work to mobilize
political will and collective actions to address the existing gaps in
the global endeavours for adaptation and resilience building, said the
release.