Compensation, not charity
The climate fund committed by the developed countries to the affected developing countries must be considered a compensation, not charity or loans, speakers said at a dialogue organised by TIB at the capital's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre yesterday.
“The delivery of fund pledges, which is very low at both global and local levels, must be demonstrated as desired,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The UN Sustainable Development Goals emphasise delivery of the commitment made by developed countries to disburse $100 billion annually by 2020 to meet the needs of developing countries' climate change-related challenges, said the speakers.
But till this year they have so far mobilised only $10.3 billion, said Iftekhar.
With judicious management and good governance in place, countries like Bangladesh have to be assertive in their demand for the compensatory funding, he said at the closing of Dhaka integrity dialogue on 'transparency in green climate funding'.
“At the same time, government and non-government organisations have to be able to assure the government and foreign donors that they possess efficiency and transparency in spending climate fund,” said Mohammed Iqbal Hossain, deputy comptroller and auditor general of Bangladesh.
“Internal auditing, crucial for good governance, of organisations aspiring to implement climate projects is sometimes not strong enough or it does not exist at all” said Hossain.
The climate projects undertaken by Bangladeshi organisations have to be viable and compliant with the Paris Agreement, said Anisul Islam Mahmud, minister for environment, forest and climate change.
Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh stands vulnerable to the sea level rise apprehended at 0.8 metres, to inundate one-third of the country's territory by the year 2100, he said.
“In the face of estimated global warming due to climate change, the danger to Bangladesh is double-edged with snowmelt in the Himalaya to the north and sea level rise in the Bay of Bengal to the south,” he said, adding, “As a result of India's unilateral withdrawal of three transboundary rivers, saline water intrusion into Bangladesh's inland will be massive.”
Bangladesh has already instituted a USD 400 million national climate fund to tackle the challenge with local resources, he said.
Comments