PM urged to take strong position over climate impacts
22 September 2014
UNB, Dhaka :
Five rights groups and civil society networks on Sunday urged the Prime Minister to take strong position over the rights of climate-induced migrants and other justified issues in the UN Climate summit.
They made the call from a human chain titled "We Demand PM to urge Developed Countries to take responsibility of Climate Migrants" held in front of the National Press Club yesterday and demanded the rich countries must pay their debts to the poor countries by ensuring Fast Track Finance.
The climate conference is scheduled to be held on 23rd September in New York where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will participate.
BAPA (Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon), BIPNetCCBD (Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network for Climate Change and Biodiversity), CCDF (Climate Change Development Forum), CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), CSRL (Campaign for Sustainable Rural
Livelihood) and EquityBD (Equity and Justice Working Group, Bangladesh) jointly organised the human chain programme.
Mustafa Kamal Akanda of EquityBD moderated the speech session of the event where Dr. Abdul Matin, the Secretary General of BAPA, Aminur Rasul Babul of Unnayan Dhara Trust, Mrinal Kanti Tripura of BIPNetCCBD, Sarwar Hossain of BKFS and Moajjem Hossain of Green Voice spoke.
The groups placed a 5-point demand including rich countries must admit their historical responsibility of GHG emission and must give practical promise to reduce it, specially they need to cut 40% of the current emission by 2030; rich countries must undergo legally binding agreements to reduce GHG; climate induced migrants must be treated under a special UN Protocol.
Dr. Abdul Matin of BAPA said in his speech, the rich world extracted us for centuries and developed their industries and the industries are causing the climate change that is again affecting us.
"That's why countries like Bangladesh should stand for the compensation in the UN Climate Summit. This compensation is not a charity by the Annex-1 countries. Rather this is their debt to the poor ones. They need to pay it in no time," he said.
Mustafa Kamal Akanda of EquityBD said, we have come across by an English newspaper The Guardian that USA is not going to give any finance for the climate victim countries. "This is a clear violation of rights of the climate affected people. They must implement the Fast Track Finance as soon as possible."
