Bangladesh at the Climate Action Summit
Speech
by
H. E. Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
United Nations, New York
23 September 2019
08 Ashwin 1426
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
Thank you Mr Moderator.
The impacts of climate change have been devastating on the life and livelihood of almost two billion people every year. Be it floods in Bangladesh and India, Cyclone Idai in southern Africa, or the Hurricane Dorian in the Caribbean- disasters have been creating havoc to our society and economy. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Frequency of extreme climate events is increasing. But in Bangladesh, casualties are reduced to almost zero from hundreds of thousands few years back due to efficient early warning system. We have adopted adaptation and resilience building measures, including an 82-year Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, to deal with issues and challenges of climate change, natural disasters and water management. We have built 4,291cyclone shelters and 523 flood shelters in the coastal areas to give shelter during disasters. Some 56 thousand volunteers are available to warn and facilitate preparation address cyclones in Bangladesh.
I am, therefore, delighted to launch today the ‘Risk-informed Early Action Partnership’ (REAP). It is an ambitious new initiative created by the United Kingdom, Finland and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The REAP aims to make one billion people around the world safer from disasters by 2025 by bringing the humanitarian, development and climate communities together in their actions.
Bangladesh has shown how a strong early warning system and a coordinated approach in disaster management can make a big difference. So, we joined this initiative to share our experiences with other vulnerable countries, as well as to learn from others in mitigating the risks of future hazards.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.