Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam said the UK-Bangladesh climate conference was successful in sensitising the international community about the danger facing Bangladesh due to perilous impact of climate change.
“Our intention was to make the international community aware about the danger facing Bangladesh and about its determination to meet challenges of the climate change despite resource constraints,” he told a post-conference reception at Royal Geographical Society Wednesday evening.
Aziz, who led a 39-member delegation to the high- level conference, proposed a multi-donor trust fund to mobilise money from the world community to support the country's efforts to mitigate and adapt to the climate change.
Besides, he said, the Bangladesh government has set up a fund with initial capital of $ 45 million.
“We need external assistance. We are trying to mobilise fund from our own resources,” he said, expressing the hope that the international community will extend wholehearted support to implementation of Bangladesh Climate Change Action Plan.
At the conference, the UK has pledged a new funding of 75 million pound sterling to support the action plan.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his message praised Bangladesh's adaptation programme, saying the world community should look at Bangladesh as a “global leader” in adaptation.
However, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in his message said Bangladesh's efforts to reduce poverty might suffer a setback if immediate and effective actions are not taken by the world community to combat the climate change.
Aziz and UK International Development Minister Alexander Douglas signed a joint communiqué urging the rich countries to help LDCs, including Bangladesh, to combat the adverse impact of the climate change.