Right Groups Express Concern on Government Silence on Climate Finance and Planning Bangladesh must not be misread to International Community
Published by Maleya Foundation: Thursday, 26 June 2014 11:14
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| Syed Aminul Hoque of EquityBD addressing the participants |
Today seven civil society right based networks express
concern on the government’s non-allocation in climate fund in the
proposed budget of FY 2014-15 and the silence of environment ministry
about climate planning and international negotiation process. They said
that this approach will give wrong signal to the international community
about the country’s climate related program.
The
groups have organized a press conference in national press club titled
“Government Kept Silence on Climate Issues might give Wrong Signal to
National and International Community” today. The organizers are
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA), Bangladesh Indigenous People’s
Network on Climate Change and Bio-Diversity (BIPNetCCBD), Campaign for
Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Climate Change Development Forum
(CCDF), Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), Coastal Livelihood and
Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Somaj and Equity and Justice
Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD).
EquityBD’s
Chief Moderator Rezaul Karim Chowdhury moderated the press conference
while the other speakers are Dr Abdul Matin of BAPA, Pychimong Marma of
BIPNetCCBD, Sobnom Hafiz of Somaj, Mostafa Kamal Akanda from EquityBD.
While
presenting the keynote paper on behalf of the group, Sayd Aminul Haque
of EquityBD said that the International community appreciated the
government’s initiative of establishing Bangladesh Climate Change
Strategic Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009 which is supported by Bangladesh
Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) from the country’s own fund as an
advance national footstep for climate adaptation and financing. But in
the current proposed budget neither the Finance Minister allocated any
money for BCCTF nor he mentioned anything regarding climate-planning
process in his speech. In fact, which might result counterproductive
images of the country both in national and international level?
Dr
Abdul Matin of BAPA mentioned that civil society criticizes corruption
in climate fund but it does not mean that civil society is against the
fund. The government should go for democratic and corruption free trust
fund in this regard and must review and update the climate change
strategic planning document like BCCSAP which is prepared in 2009.
Pychimong
Marma of BIPNetCCBD describes the worsening climate impacts in
Chittagong Hill Tracts that there is hardly any funding for climate
adaptation for that particular area. He also expresses concern on
concept of carbon trading.
Rezaul
Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD and the moderator of the press conference
demanded a pro-active roadmap from the government and Environment
Ministry on how it would apply in the global GCF (Green Climate Fund),
which has just started business. The government of Bangladesh also must
declare how they will be prepared and lead toward the climate conference
in Lima in 2014 and Paris in 2015. He also assured that according to
the past days the civil society will cooperate government delegation in
all these international negotiations.
