TIB urges govt not to take $2b WB loan
The government should not take US$2 billion loan from the World Bank, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) today advised.
“It will not be wise to take the fund rather we should seek compensation from the WB as Bangladesh is the worst effected country to climate change,” TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said.
“World Bank will not give the money without any interest. So, we cannot allow it to do business here. We shouldn’t put more burden of loan on the affected people,” he also said while addressing at a press conference in the capital.
READ MORE: WB pledges $2 billion to Bangladesh to fight climate change
TIB, Committee of Concerned Citizens (CCC) and Clean, a NGO that works with the coastal people jointly organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) on Climate Equity Week 2016.
These organisations observed the week by holding different programmes in 15 districts including nine coastal districts from October 22 to October 28.
On October 19, the WB committed to providing Bangladesh with $2 billion over the next three years in fresh funding to help the nation tackle and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.
“The government should strongly demand for the climate change compensation at the 22nd session of Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to be held in Morocco on November 7-18, 2016,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman said.
TIB will submit a position paper on the issue to the government on Sunday, he mentioned, adding that the government should continue its campaign to realise compensations from the responsible countries by placing the issue in different international meetings strongly.
He slammed the responsible countries and the donors for not fulfilling their promises to pay the compensation money to Bangladesh.
He urged all the concerned authorities to check whether all the received funds and donations as climate change compensation are being utilised properly.
While asked about raising the issue of Rampal Power Plant at the COP 22 summit, the TIB executive director said, “The UNESCO and the United Nations are already concerned about possible impact of the proposed plant on the climate and the Sundarbans. If any organisation or any individual raise the issue, I will not be surprised.”
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