Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called on developed countries to provide equal funding for addressing climate change in developing countries, including Bangladesh.
“Developing countries are most at risk of being affected by climate change. The world’s major economies will be positive about climate change and the fair share of developing countries in averting the impending crisis”, she said while speaking at a High-Level Thematic Session of Climate Ambition Summit, titled “Delivering Climate Justice: Accelerating Ambition and Implementation on Adaptation and Early Warnings for All”, at the UN Headquarters in New York.
As a climate justice advocate, Bangladesh stands ready to align with any constructive move that advances the agenda, Hasina said.
In the meeting, the prime minister emphasized equal financing of adaptation and mitigation to combat the impacts of climate change. He also highlighted the unprecedented success of Bangladesh’s early warning system in dealing with climate change-related natural disasters.
The UN Secretary-General expressed her support for two special initiatives, including the “Early Warning System for All” initiative, which aims to ensure early warning for all by 2025. Bangladesh is one of the first 30 countries selected by the United Nations to provide essential technical assistance under this initiative.
PM said Bangladesh is committed to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine-Russian war and the climate crisis. In the financial year 2023-24, the budget allocation for the health sector has been increased by 27 per cent, which is a reflection of our efforts to implement our commitments in this sector.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by the Foreign Affairs Minister AK Abdul Momen called for the return of Rohingyas to their country in another bilateral meeting.
Stating that lack of adequate financing is a major obstacle to the progress of the SDGs, the prime minister said that readily available financing is essential for the implementation of the SDGs.
“Bangladesh’s experience proves that investing in adaptation and early warning is right. We hope our development partners will seize these opportunities to deliver climate justice. Bangladesh has joined this session to support two initiatives of the UN Secretary-General,” PM Hasina added.
Bangladesh has requested the United Nations to conduct a nationwide demonstration exercise on earthquake modelling, she said.
The prime minister pointed out that Bangladesh’s death toll has come down to single digits compared to the lakhs of people who died during Cyclone Bhola in 1970. We currently have the largest community volunteering programme in the world with over 65,000 coastal people.
Bangladesh has adopted the latest national plan for an integrated multi-hazard early warning system for disaster management. “We are using mobile technology to provide regular updates of weather forecast,” she furthered.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina then addressed a high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and high-level delegations were present.
