Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Sunday officially declared Bangladesh free of the dangerous bio-chemical pesticide DDT.
He made this announcement at a press conference organised by the ministry on the occasion of the successful removal of 500 tonnes of DDT from the medical sub-depot of Chattogram, and the achievement of the World Biodiversity Conference, read a press release.
Shahab Uddin said the Department of Health had imported 500 tonnes of DDT pesticide in 1985 to implement the malaria control programme.
The imported and unused dangerous organic chemical pesticide DDT, considered of low quality, was kept in stock at the medical sub-depot of the Health Department at Agrabad, Chattogram.
In view of the aforementioned situation, the Ministry of Forests and Climate Change undertook a project titled “Pesticide Risk Reduction in Bangladesh” with the funding of the Global Environment Facility and technical support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Due to the tireless work of the officials through the project, despite various obstacles, it was possible to completely export the toxic substance to France on December 10 last year.
The minister thanked all concerned and said that public health and environmental protection has been made possible as a result of this export. An international commitment of Bangladesh has been fulfilled with the export of DDT, a product banned by the Stockholm Convention.
In the second phase of the press briefing, the minister highlighted the achievements of the World Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal, Canada from 7-19 December 2022.
Shahab Uddin said, in the speech given on behalf of Bangladesh in the high-level segment of the conference, he had called on the developed world to increase the significant amount of support for the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework after 2020 and to spend at least 1 per cent of the world’s GDP on biodiversity conservation.
Minister added that in this conference, the vision of “Living Harmony with Nature” by 2050 and the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework” was adopted with the aim of preventing and protecting biodiversity and ecosystem damage by 2030.
The framework has set 23 targets under 4 objectives.
One of these goals is to conserve 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial and aquatic environments and to secure at least $200 billion in funding per year from all sources by 2030 for biodiversity conservation; Ensure financing of at least $20 billion per year from the developed world to the developing and underdeveloped world by 2025 and at least $30 billion per year by 2030.
Under the said framework, the country’s “National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan” will be updated.
The minister said several other documents titled Sustainable Wildlife Management, Nature and Culture, Coastal and Marine Biodiversity, Biodiversity and Agriculture, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Invasive Alien Species, Synthetic Biology were accepted in the conference.
The next action plan will be determined by meeting with all the ministries/departments, offices/organizations concerned with the said documents.
Shahab Uddin said Bangladesh has convened the conference in solidarity with other countries to come forward with the goal of ensuring that the developed world receives adequate financial, technical and technological assistance.
In that context, it has been decided at the World Biodiversity Conference that the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBF Fund) will be established by 2023 by the Global Environment Facility.
The minister said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already pledged to provide 350 million dollars in financial assistance to developing countries for the implementation of GBF and conservation of biodiversity and environment.
Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary Mizanul Hoque Chowdhury, Additional Secretary Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Director General of Department of Environment Dr Abdul Hamid and representatives of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation were present on the occasion.
