Transparency needed in climate fund use
Experts at a dialogue yesterday stressed that South Asian countries should work together to receive climate fund, and ensure transparency, accountability and integrity in using the fund for the climate victims.
As the South Asian countries are prioritising adaption than mitigation, the former should be included in the climate projects, they said.
They made the observations at the two-day programme, "Dhaka Integrity Dialogue 2: Climate Finance and Governance in South Asia", organised by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital.
Climate experts from India, Nepal, Australia, the Maldives, the Netherlands, the UK, Thailand and Bangladesh took part in the dialogue.
In the closing session yesterday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said both local and foreign experts should share mutual experiences on how to ensure transparency, integrity and accountability of climate funds.
He also underscored the need for working in a coordinated way with the developed countries that have pledged to contribute to the climate fund.
Deputy Comptroller and Auditor Mohammaed Iqbal Hossain said six audit reports on climate fund have already been discussed in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Aislin Baker, senior governance adviser and governance team leader of DFID Bangladesh, said the UK have been spending US$ 5.8 billion since 2016 to tackle the challenge of climate change worldwide.
The five-year duration will expire in 2021, she said.
Professor Dr Sumaiya Khair, adviser of executive management of TIB, gave a brief presentation of the two-day long dialogue.
She said the speakers had agreed that transparency was important both on the demand and supply sides of climate finance. Therefore, integrity by both financers and fund seekers is important for an effective implementation of climate projects.
It was observed that the language of Paris agreement creates scope of ambiguities which need to be settled through climate diplomacy. The speakers suggested that the climate actors practice morality and ethics while carrying out the diplomatic endeavors, said Sumaiya.
In 2016, TIB organised the first dialogue of its kind.
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