The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Environment Secretary AHM Rezaul Kabir has sought the support of Islamic countries and express solidarity with Bangladesh for establishing an International Adaptation Center in Dhaka.

"Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we have proposed to establish an International Adaptation Centre in Bangladesh, as we consider that Bangladesh is a natural laboratory for Adaptation activities considering her vulnerability and resilience of the people to resist it," he told third Islamic Conference of Environment Ministers at Rabat held from October 29-31 as leader of Bangladesh delegation.

Rezaul said, Bangladesh will present a detailed outline of the Centre in the upcoming UNFCCC conference of parties (COP) 14 in Poznan, Poland where the support of the Islamic countries would be crucial.

He also supported the proposed project for establishment of an Islamic Environment Information Centre and said, as an integral part of Islamic Ummah, Dhaka proposed that Islamic Conference should consider establishing an Islamic Adaptation Information Center, an organ of the proposed project, in Bangladesh, if not separately may be within the greater framework of proposed International Adaptation Centre.

In the field of Disaster Management, the environment secretary said, Bangladesh would like to volunteer her wide range of experience to manage natural disasters and disaster preparedness. Though over the years we have not lost lives and properties due to cyclones and tidal surges in our coastal areas' but we have slowly build up our ability to evacuate and provide the coastal people safe shelters in the shortest possible time with the support of thousands of Red Crescent Society Volunteers, he added.

Rezaul said, our defense forces are also equipped with all sorts of logistics to respond instantly when they are asked to " in aid to civil power" to evacuate the marooned people.

He thanked the ISESCO for extending their support to Bangladesh with Books of Islamic Culture and Informatics Hardware. No doubt, this would cement our ties with Islamic heritage and cultural values in our bid to highlight the essence of Islam, which is the culture of peace.

The environment secretary urged member countries to gear up their own educational activities, particularly education to women as it is still to get due importance in our countries compared to other countries of the world.

"If we can attain better literacy rate of women and children, this will exert not only lasting impact on the improvement of our quality of life, better health for mother and child and ensure sustainable development, but also ensure dispensation of equal opportunity and justice to all, the fundamentals of human rights as enshrined in the tenants of Islam," he added.

Rezaul said, to ensure sustainable development of the country Bangladesh has already prepared her National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) while the vision of it is to ensure sustained economic growth, environment protection and social justice.

This, he said, includes reduction of poverty, ensuring wise use of natural resources, good governance and pro-people development with their participation.

The environment secretary told the conference that Bangladesh in her country submission to UNFCCC, highlight that all our climate resilient development activities will be designed to ensure four securities, namely food, water, energy and livelihood.

He said, Bangladesh adopted her Climate Change Strategy and Action plan to combat climate change challenges and crisis. This strategy and Action plan is targeted to ensure mainstreaming of development plans and programmes for climate resilient economic growth considering our vulnerability to adverse impacts of climate change.

" We have developed Environmental Curricula for our primary and secondary schools, trained teachers in all the 64 districts of Bangladesh. I believe, this environmental education will carry a positive impact for the country in the long run," he added.

He suggested that governments should take initiative to allocate additional resources to address concerns of environment for the sake of sustainable development.

" If we fail to ensure sustainable development for reducing poverty, this will give rise to increased social unrest and eventually political instability and to an extreme scenario, terrorism. This vicious cycle of global warming induced extreme natural catastrophe threatening sustainable development leading to increased poverty should be stopped without further delay," he said.

Islamic Ummah, he said, as it has always been, should continue, to be vocal as a body in UNFCCC conferences urging the Annex-I countries, for adhering to the UN Conventions and Protocols for GHG reduction to break this vicious cycle.

Islamic conference, he said, may also consider increasing their contribution as financial assistance to the worst affected and most vulnerable Muslim brothers like ours, in the latter's programme for adaptation and mitigation as well as transfer of appropriate technology.