Hasina calls for separate fund for LDCs, MVCs

Dhaka, Bangladesh: The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, Tuesday night called upon world leaders to create a separate adaptation fund with technology and capacity-building support for the most vulnerable countries and the least developed countries to climate change.

“If the developed countries could pump trillions of dollars for reviving the world economic situation, they could surely be equally generous to save us, themselves and the world,’’ she said while exchanging views with the world’s leaders in a video conference from his official residence Jamuna in the capital.

It is the second video conference in which the Bangladesh premier talked to the world leaders about the climate change issue. The first one was held on November 4.

Danish prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen chaired the conference when British prime minister Gordon Brown, president of Mexico Felipe Calderon, Norway prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi participated in the video conference titled ‘Copenhagen Commitment Circle with prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Regarding the adverse impact of climate change, the Bangladesh prime minister told the world leaders that the MVCs and the LDCs should be given priority and a separate fund kept for them as a group to this end, said AFM Gausal Azam Sarkar, DG (Europe) of the ministry of foreign affairs, while briefing newsmen after the meeting.

During the hour-long meeting that began at 8:00pm, the world leaders discussed the various issues of global warming for which the LDCs are being the worst affected and the way out to save the people from the adverse consequences of natural calamities.

‘The MVCs and the LDcs are worried that their legitimate demands are being sidelined by the disagreements in climate change negotiations between the developed and developing countries,’ Sheikh Hasina said.

The Bangladesh premier said the MVCs and the LDCs don’t want conflicts arising out of politics on climate change, ‘as early and worst victims, we simply want priority in financial consideration,’ she added.

Regarding the financial support for facing the climate change challenges, Sheikh Hasina said the MVCs do not consider equitable to put all the developing countries, including advanced ones with the MVCs and the LDCs in one group when considering financial benefits.

‘The MVCs don’t want adaptation, mitigation and technology transfer support to be in one basket,’ she added.

Welcoming the British prime minister Gordon Brown’s climate financial proposal for facing the grim challenges of global warming, she said, ‘In terms of need, they are inadequate, but good as base to work with.’

Sheikh Hasina said the world leaders should go further and beyond the EU proposal meaningfully.

Referring to the vulnerability of Bhutan and Nepal due to climate change, she said some of their major glaciers are melting down at the annual average rate of 35 metres. She said they should need international support for adaptation measurers to control the excess water flow.

The Bangladesh premier said despite very negligible contributions to global warming, Bangladesh is becoming the worst victim of the environmental hazard that should be addressed collectively.

She said the international community, especially the rich countries, should come forward with their support so that Bangladesh and other affected countries could overcome the consequences of global warming.