Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the lack of financial and political will is responsible for the failure to take global initiatives to offset the adverse effects of climatic change.
"The process of mitigating future losses is equally important," she said. But in the absence of financial and political goodwill, global adaptive measures are not at all compatible with the damage. "
The Prime Minister made the remarks in a recorded two-minute speech at the two-day Online Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) 2021, which began on Monday (January 25) at the initiative of the Dutch government. Earlier, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte addressed the conference.
This summit has, for the first time, created a dedicated platform with global leaders and local stakeholders aimed at moving the world forward on the path of climate adaptation and resilience.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is often referred to as 'Ground Zero' due to the adverse effects of climatic change.
She said, "Bangladesh has emerged as a world leader in the locally adopted adaptation system and with the help of the Netherlands, we have adopted the Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100."
Sheikh Hasina said her government has planted 11.5 million saplings across the country to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and launched a program called 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan'. The Prime Minister said the Bangladesh Draft National Adaptation Plan as per the Forest Investment Plan will be the key document of the UNFCCC process.
The Prime Minister said, "We have undertaken 789 projects worth 443 million from our own Climate Change Trust Fund based on the local arrangements we have adopted." By launching a broader adaptation action agenda, CAS 2021 will usher in a transformation decade by 2030 with the necessary global cooperation and enhanced leadership for a climate-sustainable future.