'Addressing climate change means ensuring rights'

Highlighting four important factors in combating climate change, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the climate change issue needs to be placed within the wider narrative of ensuring peace, stability, prosperity and addressing inequalities across societies.

"Addressing the climate change is about ensuring that human rights, justice and fundamental freedoms are enjoyed by people at the bottom. It's about securing the choices for every human being in his or her progression in life," she said.

The premier said this while addressing a summit on a global pact for the environment hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron at Conference Room 2 of the UN Headquarters on Tuesday.

Terming Bangladesh as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts, she called for taking into account four important factors in combating climate change which she termed as essential for a Global Pact on Environment.

The four factors are bringing forth climate justice and historical responsibility to the forefront of a robust and effective legal regime, identifying actors from local to global levels for implementing adaptation and mitigation measures, with particular focus on climate vulnerable countries, fulfilling the right to development to meet the needs of present and future generations in a just, equitable and sustainable manner and delivering on the international community's moral obligation to support peoples and countries that are victims of climate change.

Mentioning that there is a philosophy behind the way they look at it, she said Bangladesh believes in action and leading by example, and it is the first among developing countries to establish a National Climate Change Fund.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has so far invested US$ 400 million from its own resources.

Each year, Bangladesh spends over 1 percent of its GDP in combating climate change and her government has put in place a National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan in this regard, Hasina said.

She thanked President Macron for the initiative to launch the Global Pact on Environment.