UNB, Dhaka :Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has said climate the people displaced by change-induced disasters have the right to survive and all need to look at their ‘choice’ and ‘ability’ to move elsewhere.He said this while addressing a global state level conference, ‘Nansen Initiative Global Consultation’ chaired by the governments of Switzerland and Norway in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, said a press release on Tuesday.Prime Minister from Cook Islands, ministers from different countries, including Kenya, Madagascar, Kiribati, Lesotho, and high officials from 132 states and international UN and other organization, including civil society leaders, are participating in the conference, inaugurated by Switzerland Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter.The keynote presentation was presented by Assistant High Commissioner from UNHCR through a video message, and the Director General of IOM. The conference will continue until October 3 and will adopt a declaration in this regard.The Foreign Minister said in many situations, displacement is beyond what resilience can cover. “Clearly, we need to find out what is within our capacity and what is not.”He also mentioned from 5th IPCC report that Bangladesh has lost 6 percent of GDP during the period of 1998 to 2009 due to extreme climate events, as a result the state is likely to experience 15 percent increase in poverty by 2030.Quoting from IPCC, he mentioned that a one-meter rise at sea level would inundate one-sixth of Bangladesh, which would result in displacement of 31.5 million people, and with a risk of 2 to 3 percent of GDP loss in each year.In the afternoon session Bangladesh Foreign Minister launched a book titled ‘A Tale from Climate Ground Zero : Climate Change, Land and People of Bangladesh’.
