UN, ADB will provide necessary support to Bangladesh to counter climate change

The UN and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide all necessary assistance to Bangladesh to combat climate change, including the implementation of Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

The UN will help Bangladesh if it formulates a specific action plan to deal with climate risks after the COP-27 conference, said Gwyn Lewis, UN resident coordinator assigned to Bangladesh.

Gwyn Lewis and ADB Country Representative Edimon Ginting had two separate meetings in this regard with Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin at the ministry on Tuesday.

Gwyn Lewis also said Bangladesh can prepare this action plan by setting priorities from the Bangladesh Climate Adaptation Plan, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, Delta Plan, Eighth Five Year Plan, and more.

He expressed a special interest in helping climate refugees as a result of climate change.

ADB Country Representative Edimon Ginting said Bangladesh is a role model for the world in dealing with climate change. Various programmes undertaken by Bangladesh are followed by other countries.

He also said that ADB is assisting Bangladesh in various projects. ADB will financially help the project proposal to address climate risk if the government sends it. The country representative of ADB presented a proposal to work on the installation of solar panels above the water without causing any damage to water bodies in haor areas.

ADB's assistance to Bangladesh will continue at an increasing pace, he added.

In the meeting, Minister Md Shahab Uddin said Bangladesh needs $230 billion until 2030 to implement the National Adaptation Plan. Bangladesh expects the cooperation of international organisations like the UN and ADB in the implementation of NAP.

Referring to the participation of Bangladesh in the COP-27 conference, the minister said Bangladesh is expecting effective steps in the implementation of the Glasgow-Sharm Al Sheikh Work Programme on the global goals of adaptation and the decision to provide $100 billion of aid promised by developed countries to countries vulnerable to climate change.

The minister further said that a specific financing mechanism must be determined for the most vulnerable countries. In this regard, according to the calculations of the Standing Committee on Finance, the $8.8 to $9.9 trillion required for developing countries by 2030 should be taken into consideration.

The global community must work together to implement the decision to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees to save the planet, he added.