Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
Mr./ Madam Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Assalamu alaikum and good afternoon.
I have joined this session to lend support to two initiatives by the UN Secretary General. As a climate justice advocate, Bangladesh stands ready to align with any constructive move that advances the agenda.
Excellencies,
Bangladesh is generally considered a global leader in climate adaptation. We have a number of nature-based, structural and technical solutions in place that can be replicated in other parts of the world. We released our National Adaptation Plan with a projected need for 230 billion US dollars by 2050.
From the Climate Vulnerable Forum, we have made repeated calls for equal distribution of climate finance between adaptation and mitigation. The situation has hardly improved. The Adaptation Fund needs to live up to expectations. We would like to see the Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator come up with a viable model for financing and technological support.
Excellencies,
Bangladesh has made considerable investments in early warning systems. We have reduced fatalities to single digit compared to the millions that perished during Bhola Cyclone in 1970. We have one of the world’s largest community volunteers programmes comprising 65,000 coastal people.
Our latest National Plan for Disaster Management has adopted an integrated multi-hazard early warning approach. We are using mobile technology to provide regular updates on weather forecasts. We have requested the UN system to conduct a table-top exercise on nation-wide earthquake modeling. We are working on our second satellite, Bangabadhu II, as an Earth Observatory.
Bangladesh is willing to share its expertise with other vulnerable countries through South-South and triangular cooperation. I hope Early Warnings for All would be able to encourage MDBs and IFIs to join such efforts.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Bangladesh’s experience demonstrates that investing in adaptation and early warning makes perfect sense. We hope our development partners would seize these opportunities to deliver climate justice. We also expect the world’s major economies to remain honest about climate and do their fair share to avert the impending crisis.
I thank you.
Joi Bangla, Joi Bangabandhu.
***
