Bangladesh will be represented in all the upcoming conferences and meetings since Dhaka would be the worst hit country because of global warming and sea level rise due to the climate changes. Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed will lead Bangladesh delegation at UN Special Session next month to highlight Dhaka's case. Meanwhile Bangladesh is also hosting in Dhaka a SAARC regional workshop on climate change in October to sharpen the regional position.
Calendar of events to address global climate change is full. The United Nations is going to organise a special conference on climate change in New York in September. An ad hoc Working Group on UN Climate Change is meeting in Vienna in the last week of this month while ministers for environment and high officials from 28 countries and the European Commission met at Riksgransen, Sweden, during 11-14 June 2007 for an informal discussion on international cooperative Action on Climate Change - The Midnight Sun Dialogue on Climate Change. The 13th conference of parties (COP 13) of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and 3rd meeting of parties (MOP 3) of Kyoto Protocol will be held at Bali in December next.
Adviser for Environment and Forest Dr C.S. Karim took part in the Midnight Sun Dialogue on Climate Change in last June. The purpose of Midnight Sun Dialogue was to allow in-depth discussions on key issues related to the future of international cooperation on climate change. The aim was to increase understanding of the views of different countries in order to enhance prospects for agreements in forthcoming negotiations. The discussion focused both on long-term issues regarding principles and elements of a future international climate change regime as well as concrete questions relating to the preparations for the important meetings of the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007.
Dr. C.S. Karim, who took part in that dialogue, shared recently at a meeting at Department of Environment his experience from the high level discussion. The Adviser informed that the discussion had enabled a clear picture of the positions of different countries in view of the important forthcoming Conference of Parties in Bali this year. Recent conclusions by the European Council in March and the G8 Summit have created favourable prospects for negotiations at Bali and beyond. In particular, it might be possible to agree on the main elements of a climate regime for the period after 2012. There was broad consensus that the Bali Conference should establish a Road Map with a timetable and concrete steps for the negotiations on the future regime with a view to reaching agreement by 2009. It would be necessary before Bali to reach convergence on new or additional processes that may need to be established within the UNFCCC framework.
The Department of Environment noted that the experience sharing meeting by a government representative/delegation following participation in such an international meeting provides unique opportunity for relevant uptake as well as to plan necessary follow up to the event. In this respect, government officers and others representing Bangladesh in formal and informal forums should take this as a good practice and ensure they also share their experiences in relevant forums after returning home. Dr. C.S. Karim said that for Bangladesh, a national strategy for adaptation is an urgent and immediate need. He also expressed that the actions outlined in Bangladesh NAPA can be revisited, if necessary.
Participants discussed progress on Bangladesh's response to Climate Change concerns, including implementation of the Bangladesh National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA), climate change impact prediction modeling and progress so far made on mainstreaming adaptation to climate change for climate resilient development. The discussion also highlighted that current impacts of climate change and climate variability is putting both past development gains and current development efforts at risk. National food security was identified as a critical concern.
Dr C S Karim outlined possible actions for the Government of Bangladesh to have a clear picture of the country's position in view of the forthcoming Conference of Parties in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007. He asked the Department of Environment and the Climate Change Cell to organize consultation and discussions to facilitate toward this level. Last week at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by him also decided to form two different expert committees to chalkout a road map for Bali and formulate Bangladesh's national climate change strategy and action plan.
Meanwhile addressing a Thematic Debate of the UN General Assembly in New York last week, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ismat Jahan also called on the international community to fully implement the Kyoto Protocol. Bangladesh has urged the major global polluters to help address the challenges of climate change by setting and implementing short-, medium- and long-term global targets.
This informal thematic debate on climate change was convened by the president of the General Assembly as a preparatory step for the upcoming high-level UN Conference on climate change in September on the sidelines of the 62nd session of the General Assembly.
"For Bangladesh, climate change is a matter of survival. According to the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), the projection for Bangladesh is ominous, to say the least," Jahan told the meeting. The ambassador also said the frequency and intensity of extreme weather caused devastating impacts on the country's socio-economic development.
Referring to Bangladesh's initiatives in addressing the climate change, she said the government has already submitted its National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) to UNFCCC in November 2005. Bangladesh has set up a two-tier Designated National Authority (DNA) for access to Clean Development Mechanism projects under the Kyoto Protocol.
Urging the international community to support the efforts of Bangladesh in implementing its adaptation programmes, Ambassador Jahan underscored the importance of access to environmentally sound technologies, know-how, practices and processes at an affordable cost. She also urged the international community to strengthen the Least Developed Country fund under the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Ismat Jahan cautioned that climate change might trigger a large number of 'climate refugees' through sea-level rise and other adverse weather events, particularly in many low-lying developing countries. She called for urgent international attention to address this alarming issue. She underlined that the concerns and particularities of the least developed countries (LDCs) should get special attention in all future climate change-related discussions and decisions. There should be specific commitment from the development partners for financial and technical assistance for this group of countries, she said.
Now, question is how well prepared be Bangladesh in the upcoming climate conferences and how best it will be successful in highlighting its concerns with a more concrete and forceful LDCposition side by side moulding the G-77 and China's position in this regard to achive some meaningful and tangible outcomes to help face climate change in Bangladesh, in South Asia and in LDC countries.
