Regional climate change talks begin in Khulna tomorrow

Bangladesh will host a three-day regional consultation of the “Nansen Initiative” on climate change, disasters, and human mobility in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region, beginning tomorrow in Khulna.

Representatives from 16 countries of the region, experts from all over the world, and a host of international organisations, NGOs, civil society and academic institutions are expected to take part.

Announcing the programme at a press conference in the capital yesterday, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said the 5th Nansen Initiative's consultation would provide an opportunity for South Asian countries to share experience, discuss challenges and identify good practices related to human mobility in the context of climate change.

He informed that the participants would also visit the cyclone Aila affected area in Dacope upazila of Khulna to see the living conditions of the displaced people.

Nansen Initiative was launched in 2012 by Switzerland and Norway to build consensus on the development of a protection agenda addressing the needs of people displaced across international borders due to disasters and the effects of climate change.

Bangladesh is one of the nine countries that led this initiative.

Swiss Ambassador Christian Fotsch said they would closely work with Dhaka on migration and displacement issues.

He said over 166 million people were globally displaced by sudden-onset disasters between 2008 and 2013, and this number was likely to increase due to global warming.

The consultation's outcomes will be presented at a global summit in Geneva in October for future actions, said Atle Solberg, head of Nansen Initiative Secretariat in Geneva.