PM seeks strong global support for climate victims Countries off track from SDGs PM seeks strong global support for climate victims News Desk
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought strong
support from the international community
and G20 for enhancing adaptation finance
for the climate-vulnerable countries,
including Bangladesh which is burdened
with many climate refugees.
“We seek strong support from the
international community and G20 to
increase adaptation finance for the
climate-vulnerable countries,” she said
Tuesday.
Delivering keynote speech virtually at a
high- level event on the occasion of the
F20 Climate Solutions Week that began on
September 14, the prime minister also
placed three priority issues, including
greater collaboration from international
community for unified, stronger and green
mechanism to tackle the negative impacts
of climate change and uphold
sustainability.
The F20 and King Khaled Foundation are
jointly organizing the the week. The title
of the event is “Resilience and Recovery:
Highlighting Solutions for the G20 on
Climate and Sustainability”.
Sheikh Hasina said G20 has greater
responsibility to come forward with
stronger commitment to mobilise global
support to address the issue of
displacement or climate refugees.
“Peace and security of all will largely
depend on how we will be able to manage
this forced displacement of innocent
people,” she said.
The premier said that nobody knows it
better than Bangladesh as it has 1.1
million forcibly evicted Rohingyas from
Myanmar and they are causing extensive
damage to the environment and nature.
“I will urge G20 countries to mainstream
the issue of loss and damage as in many
parts of the world, the environmental loss
has become permanent and irreparable,” she
said.
Sheikh Hasina said bloc must announce
accelerated actions to reinvigorate global
economy in the spirit of ‘building back
better’ to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are still off track to achieve the
SDGs by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic has
further slowed us. Under these
circumstances, G20 must announce
accelerated actions to re-invigorate
global economy in the spirit of ‘building
back better’ and if I may add ‘greener’,”
she said.
In this connection, she placed three
issues of priority. These are:
Firstly, for successful implementation of
2030 Agenda, addressing climate change is
fundamental as both have symbiotic
relationships with each other;
Secondly, "We need greater collaboration
from international community for unified,
stronger and green mechanism to tackle the
negative impacts of climate change and
uphold sustainability. G20 countries have
specific roles to play here."
And thirdly, global financing mechanism
must be replenished as promised in a true
spirit of responsibility sharing and
partnership.
Sheikh Hasina also said that it is
disturbing that the global financing
mechanism like the Green Climate Fund
(GCF) and the Least Developed Countries
Fund (LDCF) are severely under-resourced.
She said that climate and sustainability,
the two issues, are mutually dependent and
the G20 economies account for around 90
percent of the gross world product, almost
80 percent of world trade, two-thirds of
the world population and approximately
half of the world land area.
“So, anything to do with global climate
and sustainability must go through G20 for
any satisfactory outcome. G20 has
previously shown that jointly they can
take many beneficial measures for the
benefit of the global community.”
Mentioning that climate change is a global
problem with trans- border adverse
impacts, the prime minister said it is the
responsibility of the international
community to take drastic measures to stop
the activities that cause climate change.
“The same goes for sustainability.
Breakdown of sustainability anywhere will
sooner or later result in total disruption
of sustainability everywhere. Climate
change is the ultimate existential threat
and its consequences are expected to
worsen in near and distant future,” she
said.
Sheikh Hasina noted that climate change
has originated from the lack of
sustainability triggered by human
activities. As a result, humans are
experiencing floods, rainfalls, cyclones,
heat waves, landslides and droughts in
recent years with more fury and intensity.
She said that further increase of sea
level, even for half a meter could
threaten the very survival of many climate
vulnerable countries “An ambitious
collective response is a global emergency
now and without the direct engagement of
G20, nothing can be achieved to safeguard
our children and their future,” she said.
“For that reason, the strict
implementation of the Paris Agreement is
critical. We seek collaboration and
support from the international community,
especially from the advanced economies, to
redefine their production and
consumption,” the premier added.
With inputs from BSS
|
Popular
SPORTS NOTES
TRADE NOTES
|