Dhaka 26^th June 2014. Today seven civil society right based networks express concern on the government’s non-allocation in climate fund in the proposed budget of FY 2014-15 and the silence of environment ministry about climate planning and international negotiation process. They said that this approach will give wrong signal to the international community about the country’s climate related program.

The groups have organized a press conference in national press club titled “Government Kept Silence on Climate Issues might give Wrong Signal to National and International Community” today. The organizers are Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA), Bangladesh Indigenous People’s Network on Climate Change and Bio-Diversity (BIPNetCCBD), Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL), Climate Change Development Forum (CCDF), Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Somaj and Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD).

EquityBD’s Chief Moderator Rezaul Karim Chowdhury moderated the press conference while the other speakers are Dr Abdul Matin of BAPA, Pychimong Marma of BIPNetCCBD, Sobnom Hafiz of Somaj, Mostafa Kamal Akanda from EquityBD.

While presenting the keynote paper on behalf of the group, Sayd Aminul Haque of EquityBD said that the International community appreciated the government’s initiative of establishing Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009 which is supported by Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) from the country’s own fund as an advance national footstep for climate adaptation and financing. But in the current proposed budget neither the Finance Minister allocated any money for BCCTF nor he mentioned anything regarding climate-planning process in his speech. In fact, which might result counterproductive images of the country both in national and international level?

Dr Abdul Matin of BAPA mentioned that civil society criticizes corruption in climate fund but it does not mean that civil society is against the fund. The government should go for democratic and corruption free trust fund in this regard and must review and update the climate change strategic planning document like BCCSAP which is prepared in 2009.

Pychimong Marma of BIPNetCCBD describes the worsening climate impacts in Chittagong Hill Tracts that there is hardly any funding for climate adaptation for that particular area. He also expresses concern on concept of carbon trading.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD and the moderator of the press conference demanded a pro-active roadmap from the government and Environment Ministry on how it would apply in the global GCF (Green Climate Fund), which has just started business. The government of Bangladesh also must declare how they will be prepared and lead toward the climate conference in Lima in 2014 and Paris in 2015. He also assured that according to the past days the civil society will cooperate government delegation in all these international negotiations.

Reported by : Sayed Aminul Haque (01713328815), Mostafa Kamal Akanda (01711455591)

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