DHAKA, Nov 7, 2020 (BSS) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed former Secretary of State for International Development, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, as the UK’s International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency.
In her role as Adaptation and Resilience Champion, Anne-Marie Trevelyan will engage the governments of the countries, including Bangladesh, most affected by climate change and drive support from the international community and private sector.
With one year to go until COP26 is held in Glasgow, the role of the Champion will be to drive forward global ambition and action to support countries on the frontline of climate change to adapt to its impacts and build resilience, according to a press release received from British High Commission here today.
The UK is stepping up global leadership in tackling climate change with one year to go until COP26, the UN climate change conference, and ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit on December 12 2020.
“The Prime Minister’s appointment of Anne-Marie Trevelyan as Adaptation and Resilience Champion will boost our ability to deliver our commitment to support those most vulnerable to climate change,” UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
COP26 President Alok Sharma said that Trevelyan’s wealth of insight into international development would be invaluable in putting adaptation and resilience at the heart of the efforts to create a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy.
Trevelyan said she is looking forward to working with the UK’s partners across the globe to represent and drive high ambitions on the adaptation and resilience agenda.
“It is vital the UK’s COP Presidency shows the world we are listening to the voices of those most impacted by climate change and that we will lead global action to address their concerns, from loss and damage, to access to finance,” she said.
Building international momentum to support countries and communities already impacted by climate change and future proofing growth and development is crucial to delivering our shared climate goals at COP26 and beyond, said the release.
Measures like early warning systems for storms, investing in flood drainage and drought resistant crops are extremely cost-effective, saving not just money, but lives and livelihoods, it added.
Bangladesh, it said for example, with the support of the UK and others on disaster risk reduction the mortality rate from cyclones has been cut more than 100-fold – from 500,000 deaths in 1970 to 4,234 in 2007.