DHAKA, Jul 10, 2019 (BSS) – Former UN Secretary-General and Global
Commission on Adaptation chair Ban Ki-Moon today proposed installation of a
global centre for climate change adaptation in Bangladesh as he called on
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with Marshall Islands President Dr Hilda C
Heine.
“Bangladesh is the best teacher when comes to adaptation of climate
change,” PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted Ban as saying while he
floated the proposal during the meeting with the premier.
Ban added: “You’re (Sheikh Hasina) one of the global leaders who lead the
climate change issue from the fore front (and) I count on your continued
commitment”.
The former UN secretary general said the proposed centre would monitor and
oversee the adaptation issues particularly for the South and South-East Asian
nations.
He said Bangladesh was likely to be exposed to worst wraths of climate
change but yet it appeared as a model case for adaptation of climate changes.
Heine and Ban met Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the two-day Dhaka
Meeting on climate change in a city hotel.
The Marshall Islands president highly praised as well Bangladesh for its
disaster resilience and initiatives and strategies to manage catastrophes as
well as adapt the adverse impact of climate change.
Both of them cyclones with higher intensities in recent years including
the Fani claimed only few human lives compared to that of the 1970 cyclone
that had claimed 10 lakh lives and 1991 cyclone when 1.5 lakh people were
killed.
They highly acknowledged appropriate and timely government measures to
minimize the damage and disaster tragedies.
During the meeting, Moon recalled the sweet memories of visiting
Bangladesh several times even before his appointment as the UN Secretary
General.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh contribution to carbon emission was
very little as the factor was the major culprit for climate changes, but yet
the country by now did much to reduce the emission.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had showed the path of climate change adaptation
through building multi-purpose cyclone centres after the country’s 1971
Independence taking the lessons from the 1970 catastrophic cyclone.
She said Bangabandhu had built a green belt in Cox’s Bazar to reduce
disaster damages and some 45,000 volunteers were trained up at that time to
handle any sort of natural disaster.
Bangabandhu, she said, had built structures called ‘Mujib Killas’ to save
human as well as cattle lives.
The prime minister said following Bangabandhu’s footsteps her government
was tirelessly working to overcome the vulnerabilities and create adaptation
strategies.
Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen, Environment, Forest and Climate
Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman
and Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs at the PMO Abul Kalam Azad were
present during the meeting.