The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Representatives of Climate Change Development Forum, Bangladesh, an umbrella of around 50 Non-Governmental Organisations, will put forward 11 points at the UK-Bangladesh Climate Change Conference that begins today in London.

Zakir Hossain, Executive Director of Nagorik Uddyog, a member NGO of the forum said, "We deeply feel that Bangladesh and UK can play vital role in addressing the impacts of climate change and make it more effective through incorporating the following issues in their effort."

He said this while addressing at a press conference yesterday in the city.

Zakir said that they had demanded justice and equity through transfer of technology and resources in both adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce the risks of climate change.

UK and other industrialised countries must concentrate on climate change by addressing its root causes and initiate carbon neutral development he said and added UK and other industrialised countries must recognise the adverse impacts of their historical emissions and compensate, in addition to Official Development Assistance (ODA) to address climate change.

Executive Director of Nagorik Uddyog urged for support to implement the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA) in the Least Developed Countries which ensure right to food, water, shelter, health, livelihood and culture with special attention to the poor, women, children, disable and ingenious communities.

"The Government need to recognise the climate change as an issue of global justice, human rights, human security and displacement," said he adding "poor and marginal community in Bangladesh and other least developed countries should get preferential treatment in other multilateral agreement."

Zakir said creation of mechanism for adequate and predictable finance through burden sharing as compensatory payments to deal with adverse impacts of climate change and creation of a mechanism to support adaption measures for the most affected and vulnerable communities.

Climate financing and utilisation must be transparent and accountable he claimed and asked to strengthen efforts to actualise the "G8 Action Plan for climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public Financial Institutions."

He also asked for adopting Bangladesh-UK Climate Change Strategy for 20 years.

Among others, Anowara Begum Shelly, Director of Caritas-Bangladesh, Khorshed Alam, Executive Director of AMRF, Abdul Halim of Action Aid-Bangladesh were present in the conference.