Dhaka needs more climate fund, support

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Milan yesterday said Bangladesh needs additional climate fund and support, as its 30 million people might have to move elsewhere as “climate migrants”.

"Despite being a low-income country, Bangladesh has allocated 385 million US dollars from its own resources for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change,” PM said addressing the plenary session of the 10th ASEM Summit.

“We require additional climate finance; access to locally adaptable technologies; and support to capacity and institution building," she said.

Hasina in her address also said in Bangladesh, one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, the coast is exposed to flooding from rising sea levels, reports UNB.

“It might force 30 million of our people to move elsewhere as climate migrants.”

The prime minister also had a meeting German Chancellor Angela Markel on the sidelines of the 10th ASEM Summit yesterday.

The chancellor expressed her satisfaction over the prevailing political situation and stability in Bangladesh, according to BSS.

She also praised the role of Hasina in settling maritime dispute with India and Myanmar terming the initiative as a model that could be followed by other nations.

The German leader expressed her willingness to talk to Hasina in the meeting room of the Milan Congress before attending the opening ceremony of the 10th ASEM Summit.

Hasina described various measures undertaken by her government for the welfare of the garment workers as well as ensuring their safety and security at the workplace.

In this regard, she mentioned that her government has increased wages of the workers by 226 percent in the last five years.

In reply, the German chancellor expressed her satisfaction over the steps the Bangladesh government taken for the welfare of the RMG workers.

Hasina met her Italian counterpart Italian Matteo Renzi.

The Italian PM assured her of encouraging his country's entrepreneurs to invest in various sectors of Bangladesh.

Mentioning that the trade volume between Bangladesh and Italy notches nearly $700 million, Matteo Renzi said the volume could be made double or even triple by taking more initiatives.

He highly appreciated Bangladesh's readymade garment sector saying Bangladesh could be a global hub for RMG.

Later, Hasina held a meeting with her Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven at the Bangladesh Meeting Room of Milan Congress.

She sought more Swedish investment in Bangladesh, particularly in Shipbuilding process, saying there are huge opportunities for investment in this sector.

She mentioned about her government's success in education sector and termed the investment in the sector “Smart Investment”.

During the meeting, the Swedish PM mentioned Bangladesh's 40 years of membership to the UN and highly appreciated the role of the country at the UN Peace Keeping Mission.

He also lauded Bangladesh's tremendous development in various sectors in the last couple of years.

Sheikh Hasina also exchanged greetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Sultan OF Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.