The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has said the issue of Climate Change is a priority one for Bangladesh and the country will continue to play an active role in the global debate on the subject.

He said this while the visiting 9-member delegation representing the Committee on Climate Change of the European Union Parliament called on him Thursday evening at the State Guest House Padma here, an official handout said yesterday.

The Foreign Adviser said the countries like Bangladesh, now the current Chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Yet, he added, they suffer most from the consequences of climate change. Ms. Romana Jordan Cizeli of Slovenia, who led the delegation, appreciated the priority that Bangladesh had placed on the subject and expressed the confidence that the country's active participation in it would enrich the deliberations on the issue.

Dr. Chowdhury said the developed countries including those of the European Union (EU) have an obligation to help implement requisite preventive and adaptation projects of the LDCs to face the impacts of climate change. "Bangladesh's vibrant civil society would remain closely associated with the process," he added.

Bangladesh has made an active contribution to the Bali conference and will continue to play a major role in the debate during the lead-up to the planned Copenhagen Conference in 2009, he said adding, the United Nations is a major force in shaping any future agreements on climate change.

The Foreign Adviser said Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed co-chaired the UN debate on Climate Change during the last UN General Assembly session with the Dutch Prime Minister Belkenende.

He also apprised the delegation members of the current institutional reforms being undertaken by the government to ensure a stable and sustainable democracy in the country.