I thank you moderator for giving me the floor.
I thank the panelists for sharing their valuable insights.
Bangladesh, a climate vulnerable country, is facing multiple shocks due to the pandemic. For supporting our critical sectors and the most vulnerable people, our Government has already rolled out a 14.6-billion-dollar stimulus package. Our 8th five-year plan, which was launched in December 2020, included a sharp focus on sustainable and resilient recovery. And it aligned our climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities with the Bangladesh Delta plan which will end in the year 2100.
While we are still struggling with the crisis, we wish to make the best policy choices to lay out a sustainable recovery plan. Our vision is to have a recovery journey that will drive both the SDGs implementation and resilience against climate change shocks and other crises.
Allow me to share some specific thoughts in this regard from our national perspectives:
First, we believe that Covid-19 recovery measures should complement climate actions to create stronger resilience against any future shock or calamities. Development partners, as well as multilateral donors and the private sector must come forward to support national efforts, especially of the most vulnerable countries by providing additional financial and technological support.
I reiterate the urgent need to fulfill the commitment of US$ 100 billion made under the Paris Agreement. It is also important to ensure 50-50 balance in climate financing between adaptation and mitigation.
Secondly, we need to strengthen cooperation to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices and find innovative solutions to address the crisis. It is imperative that the international community comes forward with new and innovative solutions to fulfill their historical commitment to support the most vulnerable countries.
Bangladesh is now the President of the 48-member Climate Vulnerability Forum; and in that capacity we will engage with all stakeholders for resilience building, against all forms of emergencies.
Thirdly, for LDCs and other vulnerable countries, support from the UN system, development partners and other financial institutions is now critical more than ever before. The graduated and graduating countries from the LDC category need continued and further strengthening of all sources of institutional assistance to achieve SDGs and to build an economy that ensures high economic growth, equality, and resilience against future shocks.
Finally, a climate resilient development cannot be achieved without access to modern technologies. Access to renewable energy is also key in this context. Development partners need to fulfill their commitments on technology transfer under article 66.2 of the TRIPS agreement.
We must leverage science, technology, and innovation for closing the digital divide and fostering inclusive growth, in critical areas of SDGs implementation impacted by Covid-19, including in health, education, job creation, agriculture, and climate vulnerabilities.
I thank you all.