Climate fund run with transparency
Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) maintains better transparency and vibrancy than any other trust funds of the country in the past, claimed Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud.
It is a Tk 21 billion fund (BCCTF) created by the government to face the growing challenges of climate change and is used by both the government and non-government entities.
“The ministries concerned oversee implementation of the projects financed by the fund [BCCTF]. The climate change unit of the environment ministry also supervises them. So, there is a double-checking [system],” said Hasan Mahmud.
The minister was addressing as chief guest a seminar titled “Climate change, food security and health: proactive role of Bangladesh in climate negotiations.”
Eminence, Health Foundation and Development Studies department of Dhaka University organised the event in Cirdap auditorium of the capital yesterday.
The minister said many are interested in BCCTF, but they must know the process of its management, which engages at least ten ministers, a few secretaries and civil society members. Everyone is accountable here, he noted.
“Actually, a big problem here is everybody wants to work on climate change…some having knowledge on it, some with partial and some without knowing anything at all,” said Dr Hasan Mahmud.
Academics, a member of the parliament, government and NGO officials, journalists and students participated in the seminar. Many of them said health and nutrition are not given adequate importance in the whole climate change dealings.
Dr Liakat Ali, climate change adaptation specialist at the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme, Concern Worldwide's project officer Palash Kanti Halder, Eminence senior adviser Prof Dr Shah Monir Hossain, Dr Iqbal Kabir, coordinator of the climate change cell at the health ministry, Economist Dr Quzi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, journalist Saiful Islam, Dr Murad Hasan, MP, and health secretary Humayun Kabir also spoke.
Comments