Focus on Bangladesh

A high-profile conference on climate change begins in London today to focus on the need for an agreement on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and enhance Bangladesh's capability to adapt to perilous impacts of climate change.
Britain and Bangladesh have jointly sponsored the conference titled "UK-Bangladesh Climate Change Conference: Bangladesh Facing the Challenge" at Royal Geographical Society, which is being attended by environment scientists, experts, officials and civil society.
Douglas Alexander MP, Minister for UK Department for International Development, and Bangladesh Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam will jointly inaugurate the conference, first-ever international meet exclusively designed for Bangladesh, a worst victim of the erratic behaviour of nature causing frequent cyclones, floods and prolonged droughts.
The adversities stemming from the changing climate under the impact of heavy carbon emission by developed countries are threatening to set back the impoverished nation's efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals by 2015, particularly through its devastating consequences for agriculture and food security
A 39-member Bangladesh delegation, led by Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, will present national climate change management strategy at the conference.
Last year, two rounds of flooding and a devastating cyclone, codenamed Sidr, attacked Bangladesh, claiming thousands of lives and causing huge economic losses. The climate change has been blamed as the reason behind the disasters.
Britain will give Bangladesh at least £50m to adapt to climate change in the first big attempt by a rich nation to stave off environmental catastrophe.
Other European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as the World Bank, are expected to contribute to the new Bangladesh fund, which will be launched this week in London at a conference of the Bangladesh government and donor countries.
Bangladesh has pledged to contribute £25m a year to the new fund, which, it is hoped, will attract nearly £100m within three years.