Saima Wazed Hossain has called for adopting ‘CVF-COP26 resilience action plan’ to address climate change and mental health challenges.
Daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Saima is the Thematic Ambassador for Vulnerability of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). She is also a mental health expert of the World Health Organisation.
Saima was speaking at a high-level dialogue titled ‘CVF-COP 26 Dialogue: Meeting the Survival Deadline towards Maximal Resilience’, organised by Bangladesh High Commission in London on Monday.
“For helping the most vulnerable and the marginalised individuals and communities, including persons with disability, health conditions and diverse cultural and religious belief, cope with the trauma of extreme climate events and natural disasters, we must learn from the best practices of the climate-resilient population”, she said.
Chaired by Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem as part of the newly formed CVF High Commissioners/Ambassadors Forum in London, Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific, the Environment and COP26 at the UK FCDO, Md. Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Prof. Dr. Saleemul Huq, Chair of CVF Expert Advisory Group and Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and Prof Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, Chief Executive Officer, Global Center on Adaptation spoke at the high-level segment of the dialogue.
Abul Kalam Azad, Special Envoy to Bangladesh Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, presented the keynote paper at the dialogue which was participated, among others, by High Commissioners/Ambassadors and diplomats of 40 CVF member countries based in London.
CVF High Commissioners/Ambassadors representing South Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Central and South America also made their country statements on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), adaptation and resilient strategies, climate financing, transition to low-carbon economies and loss and damage issues.
In his speech as the Guest of Honour Lord Goldsmith reiterated the UK’s call to the governments for stepping up on finance for nature-based solutions (NBS), which provides around a third of the most cost-effective climate change mitigation.
He emphasised the UK's ambitious climate action plans as President-elect of COP26 as well as its long-term strategies towards a net-zero by 2050.
The UK minister referred to his recent virtual visit to Bangladesh and praised Bangladesh’s nature-based resilient programme. He also reaffirmed COP26 Presidency’s willingness to work closely with Bangladesh Presidency of the CVF and UK’s climate financing commitments to support CVF countries’ ambitious adaptation and resilience plans.
State Minister Md. Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh remains one of the worst affected victims of global emissions, despite having a negligible carbon footprint.
But the country has made remarkable progress in both adaptation and mitigation measures with strong political commitment and prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the resilience and strength of its people.
He said: “Waiting for no one to come forward and help us to build climate resilience, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ensured that Bangladesh was the first LDC to establish its own $400 million Climate Change Trust Fund, prepare a Delta Plan 2100 and announce the ‘Mujib Planetary Prosperity Decade (2020-30)’ and Action Plan, first of its kind, marking Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Birth Centenary in 2020.
Referring to the recently established Bangladesh-UK Climate Partnership Forum, the State Minister said as the CVF Presidency Bangladesh also looks forward to working closely with the UK as the President-elect of the COP26 towards a more resilient and prosperous future for the 1.2 billion climatically vulnerable peoples of the CVF member countries.
Bangladesh High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem in her opening remarks said, “Bangladesh has assumed the Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum this year for a second term, both under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when all the CVF nations are facing the gravest global challenges of our times, the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s call to world largest emitters to declare new and ambitious NDCs as per the Paris Treaty under the ‘Midnight Climate Survival Deadline’ on 31 December 2020.”
Commenting on the newly formed High Commissioners/Ambassadors CVF in London, the Bangladesh High Commissioner expressed hope that the Forum will organise few more dialogues with the COP26 Presidency towards common aspirations and ambitions leading up to the COP26, including a joint summit of CVF-COP26 Presidencies.