The Prime Minister called for bold and strong steps for a sustainable future

News Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon world leaders to take immediate and bold steps to address the state of emergency on the planet through the 'Universal Global' initiative to leave a sustainable future for the next generation.

He made six recommendations at a closed-door meeting of leaders on how to deal with the effects of climate change in New York on Monday morning (September 20). The meeting was co-hosted by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.

In her proposal, Sheikh Hasina called for strict implementation of the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. He also called for িক 100 billion in annual climate funding from developed countries. Fifty percent of this fund will be used for adaptation and resilience, especially in climate-risk countries. Highlighting the need for new financial processes and the transfer of green technology to developing countries, the Prime Minister called for tackling the problem of losses and erosion due to climate change, as well as displacement of large populations.

He said assistance was needed to increase the capacity of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) countries, especially those affected by the increased frequency of climate-related disasters, to deal with the dual dangers of epidemics and disasters.

Sheikh Hasina said the international community has a special responsibility to assist countries at risk of climate change in their adaptation and mitigation efforts. Highlighting the adverse effects of climate change, he said climate-risk countries contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, but they suffer the most.

The Prime Minister also mentioned in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that it paints a grim picture of the future. Because if the global temperature goes above 1.5 degrees Celsius, they will face permanent losses.
Regarding the role of his government in tackling climate change, he noted that Bangladesh has emerged as a global pioneer in adaptation and resilience.

Noting that Bangladesh has recently submitted an ambitious and updated NDC to the UNFCCC, he said the government has adopted the ‘Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan’ focusing on green growth, resilient infrastructure and renewable energy. He made it clear that the government has moved from climate risk to climate resilience and from that to climate prosperity.

The Prime Minister said as the chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20, her government's main goal is to protect the interests of climate-risk-prone countries. He added that Bangladesh is sharing best practice and adaptation knowledge with other climate risk countries through the GCA South Asia Regional Office in Dhaka.

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