Climate Change Conference, Dhaka

Bangladesh – UK Climate Change Conference

Climate Change is an existential issue for Bangladesh. This low lying, densely populated country is highly likely to be one of the worst victims of climate change in the coming years. Both sea-level rise and glacial melt from the Himalayas present grave threats to Bangladesh. The UK understands the need for urgent action in the region to help the people of Bangladesh adapt to the impacts of climate change. In addition to substantial DFID programmes, The UK is helping Bangladesh to maximise donor funding from the international community for adaptation.

The recent high profile UK-Bangladesh Climate Change conference was key in promoting Bangladesh as an international leader in building consensus to tackle climate change amongst governments and civil society.

The British High Commission in Dhaka and DFID-Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, jointly arranged a one-day climate change conference in Dhaka on 25th of March 08. The event aimed to promote domestic and international co-operation to tackling climate change; to encourage and build capacity for resilience and adaptation; and to explore opportunities for financing climate change initiatives. The conference was addressed by: Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Honorable Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Dr. A. B. M. Md. Azizul Islam, Honorable Adviser, Ministry of Finance and Raja Devasish Roy, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Environment and Forests.

Representatives from a range of other ministries, heads of diplomatic missions, donor and development organisations, climate change experts, the media, private sector, academics and NGOs also played an active role in the conference.