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International News
PM for putting climate change victims in charge of fighting its impact
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DHAKA, Dec 1, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has coauthored an article with CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation Patrick Verkooijen on climate change in the famous American weekly news magazine, Newsweek.
The article was published on Thursday (November 30) while the global leaders are convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to find ways to fight climate change impact globally.
Climate change is a global disaster inflicted by the rich upon the poor-and increasingly upon themselves. Global leaders convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai need to understand that their top-down approach can never work. Rather, we need to put the victims in charge of the fight back and fund their battle.
The climate breakdown will not wait while leaders equivocate. It is already unleashing typhoons and floods on communities, and spreading hunger through crop failures and drought. Only a tiny fraction of climate funding reaches the people battling the worst effects of climate change-they are without the resources needed to protect themselves and their livelihoods, leaving them more vulnerable. Climate injustice is being exacerbated.
Climate action at a global level makes no sense unless it helps protect people on the frontlines of climate change. We need to find ways to quickly and efficiently channel all necessary funding to locally led climate-resilience initiatives. This calls for fresh thinking and a new approach. At COP28, the world needs to double down on adaptation finance. The Loss and Damage Fund must become fully operational so we can respond rapidly and urgently to meet the needs of local communities to rebuild infrastructure and adapt more effectively to climate impacts. This is also a vital step toward climate justice.
Moving from Global to Local
To ensure adaptation finance flows from developed to developing countries double to reach $40 billion by 2025, as pledged at COP26 in Glasgow, finance providers must on average increase annual adaptation flows by at least 16 percent between 2022 and 2025. Yet adaptation finance flows to developing countries declined 15 percent in 2021 to $21.3 billion. That is clearly too little. Yet less than 6 percent of this sum, and perhaps as little as 2 percent, reaches climate-resilience projects led by local communities. Estimates vary due to a lack of properly tracking and reporting money flows-and this needs to improve. But it's also because climate policy and decision-making flows from the top down.
The people who know which towns, streets, fields, and homes are most vulnerable are those who live there. We must encourage and empower them to get together and draw up and implement their own projects to protect themselves against the consequences of climate change.
This is easier said than done. Local communities often lack the time and skills to manage longer-term projects aimed at strengthening climate resilience. They need help and training to draw up project proposals; and to access funding they need basic things such as legally constituted organizations and bank accounts.
Bangladesh has always been a leader in locally led climate adaptation and recently the government has been exploring various ways to channel climate assistance to local communities. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan makes it easier to access low-interest loans for adaptation, has a climate risk fund to train communities and local governments to lead adaptation, expands green banking services, and explores paying communities for ecosystem services.
Through the Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation in Dhaka, the government is also helping scale up solutions and share best practices with other vulnerable regions of the world. These efforts are already achieving dramatic improvements on the ground.
From Challenges to Opportunities
In Mongla, the second-largest seaport in Bangladesh, the mayor and residents are drawing up a plan to identify economic opportunities in their climate challenges. Like other major cities, Mongla has seen a large influx of climate migrants even as it struggles with rising sea levels-a consequence of global warming-that are contaminating the city's fresh water supplies. Mongla is mapping settlements, identifying key climate vulnerabilities, and developing locally led initiatives. With the support of the U.K. and Canadian governments working through BRAC, an international development agency, and the Global Center on Adaptation, it is hoped that Mongla's People's Adaptation Plans might become a blueprint for other towns and cities adapting to climate change.
This shows us that locally led adaptation is the way forward. But we need to massively scale up these approaches. For that, we need to find ways to finance local communities, without creating undue risk for donors. Strong intermediary organizations can be valuable here to act as a transmission belt to accelerate People's Adaptation Plans into the portfolio of large financiers, including international finance institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
COP28 will only be a success if it achieves real benefits for the communities most affected by the climate crisis. This year's climate summit must ensure that finance flows to the poor communities most affected by climate change, and into locally led, appropriate, and effective adaptation. If we achieve this, the world will have taken a big step toward redressing the gross injustices of climate change.
Step to Humanity Association Commemorates 7th Anniversary with Inaugural Magazine Unveiling
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Step to Humanity Association Commemorates 7th Anniversary with Inaugural Magazine Unveiling
Central Alberta, Canada - November 12, 2023: Step to Humanity Association (STHA), a distinguished charitable organization registered in Canada, celebrated its 7th anniversary with great enthusiasm, culminating in the unveiling of its inaugural magazine titled "STEP TO Humanity." The milestone event was graced by the presence of Dr. Ibrahim Dodo, who presided over the proceedings, and featured keynote speaker Delwar Jahid, Chief Editor and esteemed journalist and academic. Additional addresses were delivered by Vice President Dr. Mujahid Sayed and board directors Moazzem Hussain, Dr. Ekram ul Azim, Masud Rana Sarkar, and Mahfuz Enam.
Dr. Ibrahim Dodo highlighted STHA's significant impact as a beacon of hope for the less fortunate, tirelessly addressing poverty issues, particularly in Asian and African countries. During the magazine's inauguration, he announced it as a landmark achievement for the association and emphasized the strategic plan, which underscores principles such as flexibility, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, all crucial to the organization's mission.
Deep Seaport to play big role in country's economic development: PM
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MATARBARI, Cox's Bazar, Nov 11, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the deep seaport here will play a great role in the country's economic development due to its geographical location.
"The deep seaport at Matarbari will contribute immensely to country's economic development due to its geographical location," she said while inaugurating the sea port channel at a programme here this afternoon.
The Prime Minister said once the deep seaport starts functioning, the big ships can leave directly for foreign seaports while loading and offloading of goods will be easier and cheaper and time-saving.
She said not only Bangladesh, but also Nepal, Bhutan and India can use this seaport.
"Through such use, we can make the deep seaport more effective with regional cooperation," she said.
On the same programme, the Prime Minister also laid foundation stone of construction work of the first terminal of the deep seaport.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has been working to tap the potential of the blue economy by ensuring maximum use of the marine resources.
"We have adopted the blue economy policy and we are planning to use the policy more effectively," she said.
To this end, the Prime Minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had formulated the maritime law in 1974 while the United Nations formulated it in 1982.
She said her government successfully achieved a vast marine area winning legal battle against neighboring countries, adding," No previous governments excepting the Awami League did anything to this effect.
The Prime Minister thanked the Japanese government for extending cooperation to constructing the deep seaport aimed at building strong economic base.
She said her government has built a power plant in Matarbari while an economic zone will be built there alongside other development structures.
The area will help boost the national trade and business, she said.
The Prime Minister said her government will form separate entity by enacting a new law to operate the deep seaport.
Sheikh Hasina said once the area was used to only cultivate salt while the area will be turned into the country’s economic lifeline .
Briefly describing her government measures for the overall socio-economic advancement of the country, she said Bangladesh has totally changed in the last 15 years of her government.
Bangladesh is now considered as the role model of development for rest of the world and its citizens now can move around the world keeping their head high.
The Prime Minister said the world is progressing fast, adding, "Bangladesh will also march ahead coping with the world."
She once again called upon the global leaders to stop the wars as the people can live in peace alongside putting an end to the inhuman percussion on the women and children.
In this regard she said, Bangladesh had given shelters to the Rohingyas, but they are trying to resolve the issue through dialogues instead of engaging in conflict.
"We want other nations will do the same taking lesson from Bangladesh for maintaining global peace," she said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League (AL) joint general secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, senior AL leaders and other dignitaries were present.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury was on the dais while Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail gave welcome address.
Top US university suspends groups protesting Israel-Hamas war
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Top US university suspends groups protesting Israel-Hamas war
Columbia University has suspended two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, due to their organization of protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. The university claims that the groups violated policies regarding campus events, with a particular focus on an unauthorized event that included threatening rhetoric and intimidation. The suspension will last throughout the fall semester and will only be lifted if the groups demonstrate compliance with campus regulations. The decision aims to ensure the safety of the university community and allow core activities to proceed without disruption during what is described as a "charged time" with protests in the United States turning violent. The protests at Columbia involved students walking out of lectures to call for a ceasefire in Israel's assault on Hamas, with some attendees reportedly labeling the operation a "genocide" and demanding the university boycott and divest from Israeli institutions. The broader Middle East conflict has polarized opinions on American campuses, with accusations of anti-Semitism and tensions at universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and New York University. (source: Nov 11, 2023, BSS/AFP)
- Additional Resources:
- Additional Resources:
- Agro-Ocean
- Bangabandhu Development and Research Institute (BRDI)
- Bangabandhu's Bangladesh
- Bangladesh Heritage
- Bangladesh North American Journalists Network
- Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta (BHESA)
- Coastal 19
- Delwar Jahid's Biography
- Diverse Edmonton
- Dr. Anwar Zahid
- Edmonton Bichitra
- Edmonton Oaths
- Motherlanguage Day in Canada
- Samajkantha News
- Step to Humanity Bangladesh
