Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon the countries to increase their nationally determined contributions as promised in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and in tackling the climate crisis.
She made the call at the inaugural ceremony of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) Bangladesh office on Tuesday (September 8) with a virtual part from Ganobhaban.
The Global Center on Adaptation-GCA Bangladesh Office was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former UN Secretary General and Chairman of the GCA Board Ban Ki-moon. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, among others, spoke on the occasion.
The Prime Minister said climate change is a global issue. Therefore, we call for increasing the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the nationally determined contributions of different countries in tackling the climate crisis.
Calling on different countries to work together to tackle the crisis, the Prime Minister said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is calling for greater help and cooperation between different countries. We should not leave each other to fight this ongoing crisis or such a crisis in the future. We will work together, we will fight together and we will be victorious together.
After inaugurating GCA's new office in Dhaka, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed hope that GCA's Dhaka office 'Center of Excellence' would serve as a solution to climate adaptation in South Asia.
Regarding the opening of a new office in Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina said it is a historic moment in the fight against the climate change crisis in South Asia through adaptation. The GCA Bangladesh Office will provide all possible assistance to increase adaptation and climate resilience in South Asia.
She added that the region is at high risk of natural disasters such as cyclone, floods, tidal surges, droughts, glacial lake outburst floods and landslides. Even if the temperature rises by only one and a half degree, different areas of this region including Bangladesh will face severe damage. The Prime Minister reminded that women and children, growth and physically affected people are at greater risk due to climate change.
Urging the implementation of the Paris Agreement, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh wants all kinds of measures and implementation of the Paris Agreement to prevent global warming and other environmental adverse due to greenhouse gas emissions. She mentioned that since 2010, Bangladesh has been spending 1 percent or 2 billion rupees of GDP every year for adaptation. Sheikh Hasina also highlighted Bangladesh's activities in tackling the climate crisis, including the implementation of an Action Plan to tackle climate change by setting up a 430 million fund in the Climate Change Trust Fund with its own resources.
Referring to the adoption of 100-year Delta Plan-2100 keeping in mind the risks of climate change, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh is a unique example in terms of vulnerability and resilience. The people here have set an example in dealing with natural disasters and man-made disasters.
The concerned ministers of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives spoke on the occasion.