The statement of H.E. Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, the Hon'ble Adviser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment

Bangladesh-UK Climate Change Conference
Dhaka Sheraton Hotel
25 March 2008 at 0930 hrs.

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me immense pleasure to join you all in the Bangladesh-UK Climate Change Conference. Deep appreciation is owed to the British High Commission, DFID and the Ministry of Forest and Environment for organizing this daylong event. The timing of this could hardly be more opportune. Three times last year, we encountered the wrath of nature. Cyclone Sidr was a wake up call for all of us. It confirmed our worst fear - rather painfully - that global warming and climatic shifts would only render natural disasters more intense, more destructive and more frequent. There is unfortunately no escape from the fury of nature. Bangladesh is on the frontline of a climatic Armageddon. Our best bet is to adapt to it and sooner we do it the better.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is heartening that the world is more united than ever before to combat climate change. But this unity must translate into concrete actions. The road to Bali Climate Change Conference was filled with hope. The momentum was extra-ordinary. With Vice President Al Gore and IPCC receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Bali received an even stronger mandate for action. But has Bali lived up to the expectations? Has it produced a roadmap for an equitable climate change regime? Can we expect a cleaner, safer world in the days ahead?

In the eyes of many, the Bali Conference produced a weak document. It lacked a firm commitment on emission cuts. More importantly, the sacrosanct principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" suffered a serious setback in the outcome document. Paragraphs 1b(i) and 1 b(ii) of the Roadmap envisage a similar level of mitigation responsibilities for both developed and developing countries. It was also disheartening that some of the advanced developing countries refused to accept any differentiation in obligation within the developing world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Bangladesh, as the Chair of the LDC Coordinating Bureau in the United Nations, played an pro-active role in Bali. We ensured that the final document included a specific reference to the adaptation needs of the LDCs and the Small Island developing states. Because of our relentless efforts, Bali conference agreed to establish an Adaptation Board. The Board will facilitate equitable allocation of adaptation funds. It will also strive to augment the flow of funds to the most vulnerable group of countries.

Let me outline three key imperatives between now and the COP 15 in Copenhagen. Firstly, if we are to reach an agreement by 2009, we must de-politicize the climate change discourse. We cannot afford a prisoner's dilemma. Developed countries must make unilateral, meaningful and unconditional commitments to reduction of GHG emissions. There should be no strings attached. Advanced developing countries must also make comparable commitments. They should not withhold consensus to achieve an inter-temporal equity. There is no denying that the western economies polluted the environment for centuries. They enjoyed a free ride. But this does not mean that the developing countries should do the same. If we all want to settle our scores, the world will soon become unlivable. We must reach an agreement to safeguard the most vulnerable group of countries. They are acutely vulnerable because of their geography and their low-lying compelling coastal areas. The post-Kyoto agreement must recognize their special and compelling needs. There should be a separate annex for the most vulnerable group of countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Secondly, the future climate change agreement must ensure that the poorest countries of the world have access to eco-friendly and cost-effective technologies. This is a must to safeguard their right to development. Let us not forget that mitigation is only one part of the challenge. Even if we manage to agree on a deeper cut in emissions, global warming will continue, albeit at a slower pace. This will surely give many low-lying coastal countries a sufficient lead-time to cope with global warming and sea level rise. We must also adapt to climate change. Adaptation will remain key to our survival. But it is often a rather costly proposition. It will require us to mobilize resources, globally, regionally, nationally and even sub-nationally. More importantly, we must have the technology to improve our adaptation capacity.

The post-Kyoto climate change agreement must not stifle development potentials of the LDCs. We must also ensure that their development is sustainable and environment-friendly. Technology transfer is a key to ensuring sustainable development. Many developing countries cannot afford environment-friendly technology in their industrialization efforts. The advanced industrial economies, on the other hand, have eco-friendly technology, which LDCs can seldom afford. Patents and copyrights impose an inordinate cost on them if they want to secure green technology for their development. We strongly feel that like the Adaptation Board, there should also be a "Technology-transfer Board" to facilitate technology transfers for sustainable development in the least developed economies.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thirdly, the world needs a strong leadership to lead the Bali roadmap to fruition. The Secretary General's decision to convene a high-level dialogue on climate change in September last year was a step in the right direction. But that was hardly enough. We feel that there should be a high representative of the UN Secretary General to facilitate future negotiations. The high representative must bridge the gap between the developed and developing countries to reach an equitable agreement. This will require strong commitment, intense diplomacy and a sense of urgency. The task will also need coordination with UNFCCC, UNEP, UNDP and other UN agencies dealing with climate change. The challenge is enormous. We must have the right leadership to tackle this challenge.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

If we exclude Brazil, China, India and South Africa, 100 developing countries together account for less than 1% of global emission. But this bottom 100 stands to suffer the most in the absence of a legally binding agreement. For Bangladesh, the adverse impact of global warming is not a distant reality. It is an imminent threat. Our survival as a nation is at stake. We cannot afford procrastination. If we collectively fail to reverse the trends in global warming, as much as one fifth of Bangladesh will disappear in the Bay of Bengal. Along with it nearly 30 million people will perish. In sheer numbers, our losses will far exceed the combined losses of all small island-developing states. It will be a colossal damage. The world must pay attention to our concerns.

Our common future hangs on a delicate balance. We must find courage to save the only planet we have. Our approach must be pragmatic and holistic. We must work in unison - as we are doing today in collaboration with the UK Government - to ensure that the most vulnerable group of countries receive the support they need to cope with climate change. This is a categorical imperative, the most urgent need of our times.

Thank you.