UNB, Dhaka :
Reaffirming her government’s commitment to low-carbon, climate-resilient development path, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the large carbon-emitting countries to reciprocate by strong voluntary commitments from countries like Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh will never exceed the average per capita carbon emission of the developing world,” she said while making a statement at the intervention of the Retreat Session of the 10th ASEM Summit meeting on the last and second day at Milan Congress in Italy.
Hasina also expressed Bangladesh’s concern over the huge gap between the commitments of the developed world and their initiatives to fulfill the pledges, saying that the global action of sharing the burden is absent, according to a message received here.
Referring to the Rio+20, the Prime Minister said the countries had agreed on a shared dream to have the ‘Future we want for all’.
She said, despite being a climate-vulnerable LDC, Bangladesh was forced to divert its development budget for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. “Yet, climate change continues to affect
the lives and livelihoods of millions of our people.”
Hasina went on saying, “Besides, increasing the intensity and frequency of flooding, storm surge, salinity intrusion and the slow-onset changes as a result of climate change are badly affecting our coastal habitats. “If the global community is not ambitious about climate mitigation, the adaptation costs will be much higher than it is estimated today.”
The Prime Minister said, adaptation is crucial for sustainable development but critical balance between adaptation and mitigation must be maintained.
She said Bangladesh has learned much on adaptation front, and is ready to share its modest experience on climate resilience.
Hasina laid emphasis on the respective ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’, saying, “it must be clear, measurable and verifiable.”
She said, there should be a greater ‘fast-track finance’ for adaptation, technology development and transfer, capacity building, transparency of action and support particularly for the climate-vulnerable countries. “The Green Climate Fund needs to take those into account.”
Describing various measures taken on the Climate Change issue, Hasina said her government has been implementing Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.
Besides, she said, her government has installed 3.2 million ‘Solar Home Systems’, provided over 1.5 million ‘Improved Cook Stoves’ across Bangladesh as well as developed stress-tolerant crop varieties.
During her speech at the UN Climate Summit in September in New York, the Prime Minister had also urged the developed countries to come forward to match the ‘robust’ commitments and efforts from countries like Bangladesh to face the adverse impact of Climate Change.
Talking about terrorism and extremism, the Prime Minister said such problems remain to be major impediments to global peace and growth.
She reiterated her government’s stance on maintaining “zero-tolerance” policy towards all forms of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation.
Referring to sporadic spread of terrorism and violent ideologies in many parts of the world, Hasina asserted that her government would denounce terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
She also described the brutality of terrorists and extremist groups even the last year for destroying the progressive and secular fabric of the nation, and mentioned her government’s resolve not to allow any terrorist individual or entity to use Bangladesh soil against any state.
On global aspect, the Prime Minister urged for centrality of the United Nations in formulating a strategy for fighting terrorism and violent extremism.
About recent Israeli barbaric killings of Palestinian people in Gaza, Hasina strongly criticised the atrocities saying such killings are not acceptable.
In her statement, the Prime Minister also elaborated her own views for the ASEM’s future work plan.
