ZCZC
BSS-50
BANGLADESH-CLIMATE-CHANGE
Dhaka urges developed countries to join climate action multi-donor fund
DHAKA, March 31, 2021 (BSS) – Bangladesh as the chair of Climate
Vulnerable Forum (CVF) has invited the developed nations to
participate in the CVF/V20 ‘Multi-Donor Fund’ to scale up climate
actions of the CVF member countries.
“We invite the developed economies to participate in this
multi-donor fund. Global financing mechanism to address the challenges
of climate change is severely under resourced,” Foreign Minister Dr AK
Abdul Momen said today.
The foreign minister was virtually addressing the ‘Climate and
Development Ministerial’ organised by the UK as the Presidency of
COP26.
“We are nowhere near the Paris Agreement’s annual target of the 100
billion dollars,” he said, adding that the complicated architecture of
international climate finance is also a barrier.
Momen said Bangladesh firmly believes that strict implementation of
the Paris Agreement is the only way forward for a sustainable future.
“We need political commitment to build back better for a
sustainable, prosperous and resilient future through shared
responsibility and concerted actions,” he said.
In this regard, the foreign minister said Dhaka suggested that
CVF-COP prosperity partnership may be a way forward.
“Major economies, MDBs, IFIs should come forward for climate
financing, and to ensure transparency and flexibility of finance,” he
said, adding that such funding must be balanced towards a 50:50
division between adaptation and mitigation.
Momen also emphasized that ‘loss and damage’ provision should be
mainstreamed as extreme weather events have already displaced many
more people than violent conflicts.
Likewise, he said, relocation and protection of displaced persons
due to global warming and river erosion need due focus in global
discourses to ensure their protection and rehabilitation.
The foreign minister noted that Bangladesh has adopted excellent
adaptation and mitigation activities to enhance its climate
resilience. “As the first LDC, Bangladesh established a Climate Change
Trust Fund where the government has allocated nearly $443 million from
her own resources,” he added.
This year, he said, as part of the celebration of birth centenary of
Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
the government is planting 11.2 million trees across the nation and
are going to implement the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ to achieve
low carbon economic growth for optimised prosperity and partnership.
“Green growth, resilient infrastructure and renewable energy are key
pillars of this prosperity plan, which is a paradigm shift from
vulnerability to resilience and now from resilience to prosperity,” he
said.
He also mentioned that Bangladesh also has established a Regional
Global Adaptation Centre in Dhaka with a view to disseminate local
based innovative adaptation strategies.
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