Victim nations must get grant, not loan

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday said the upcoming Copenhagen conference must agree on funding the victim countries grants, not loans, so that they can cope with the impacts of climate change.

"The Copenhagen conference must agree on an adaptation fund with adequate resources at its disposal. The fund for adaptation and technology must come in form of grants, not loans," she said while addressing the Climate Vulnerable Forum in the Maldives.

She said this financing must come in addition with already committed Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). She called upon the developed countries to immediately fulfil their commitment of ODA to victim countries.

The foreign minister said some 20 million people in Bangladesh would have to be relocated due to the adverse effects of climate change by 2050. Moreover, one-metre rise in the sea level would inundate 30 percent of the country making 40 million people homeless and unemployed.

“River erosion, land slide, soil degradation, deforestation, and salinity intrusion in the coastal areas are the other forms of impact we are suffering,” said Dipu Moni.

She regretted, "We have been running from meetings to meetings, seminars to symposiums for many years now. The series of meetings has so far eluded us of a just and equitable solution."

She said the Copenhagen outcome must include provisions for assured, adequate, predictable and easily accessible funding mechanism for adaptation and transfer of green technology to the Least Developed Countries, low-lying coastal and island states and other climatically vulnerable countries at an affordable cost.

The Maldives organised the two-day conference of the hugely vulnerable countries ahead of the crucial Copenhagen talks in December. Leaders of 17 countries have been taking part in it to adopt the Malé Declaration, which will be placed in Copenhagen.

She said the climate vulnerable countries were not the polluters, but sufferers of global warming. Bangladesh spent over $10 billion to build structures such as coastal polders and embankments to fight natural calamities.

The foreign minister said Bangladesh needed more funds to carry out dredging of major rivers and reclaiming of land to fight the consequences in future. "Such activities will entail huge costs and, therefore, I call upon the international community to underwrite these expenses.

Representatives from Bangladesh, Barbados, Costa Rica, East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, the Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines, Rwanda, Vanuatu and Vietnam attended the Malé conference.