Saying Bangladesh has suffered the most due to climate change despite contributing negligibly to it, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for quick operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund to create additional financing mechanisms to address climate-induced migration.

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Everything you need to know about the Loss and Damage Fund

Speaking at the G20 Summit in New Delhi on its theme of "One World, One Family, One Future", she also raised the Rohingya refugee issue and said the global community must not forget to ensure the return of the unfortunate forcibly-displaced Myanmar nationals to Myanmar, and it must continue the humanitarian support.

Hasina said the G20 Summit is taking place at a time "when our mother Earth is impacted by multiple crises of climate change, Covid-19 pandemic, and challenges of sanctions and counter-sanctions".

"These challenges make it imperative for all to embrace the vision of one community with shared future for mankind, for peace and development," she said.

"As a member of the Troika of Climate Vulnerable Forum, I would like to urge all to operationalise Loss and Damage Fund as early as possible for creating additional financing mechanisms to address climate induced migration."

"In the upcoming COP28, I would urge all to emphasise the implementation of the fund for loss and damage with accountability and transparency," she added.

The Bangladesh PM also said, "The reality is humans and our mother Earth can exist only by mutual support and therefore, our development endeavours are focused on green and sustainable development. Now, we are also taking circular economy approaches.

"Bangladesh, despite making a negligible contribution to global climate change, has suffered the most as a victim of its consequences," she pointed out.

Quoting the World Bank's Groundswell Report of 2021, she said impacts of climate change may drive 13.3 million people from their usual habitats by 2050.

Hasina said though Bangladesh has little scope for mitigation, "We have undertaken many transformative measures to tackle perilous impacts of climate change consistent with implementing the Paris Agreement and achieving the SDGs."

Recalling that in 1997, she had initiated a project named Ashrayan, she said under this initiative "we rehabilitated till August this year nearly 840,000 landless and homeless families with houses and land free of cost".

"Our target is to have Bangladesh free of homeless and landless people," said Hasina.

Underlining that Bangladesh is known as a role model for disaster management', Hasina said, "We have made robust gains in disaster preparedness and climate adaptation. For disaster response, we have built 4,530 cyclone shelters. We are now constructing 550 more cyclone shelters called 'Mujib Killas' on raised grounds for multiple uses."

She said the government also launched the "Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan" to put Bangladesh from "vulnerability to resilience to climate prosperity".

Hasina pointed out that her government launched the National Adaptation Plan in 2022 with a projected need for $230 billion by 2050, Hasina called for "active support from developed nations in this regard".

"We want a global order which should pave solutions to poverty alleviation, mitigating climate change effects, preventing conflicts, and financing technological transfer for a knowledge-based society," she said.

As one of the Champions of the UN Secretary General's Global Crisis Response Group, constituted in 2022, Hasina put forward a three-point plan:

1) Strengthen global solidarity and adopt coordinated response to address global crises. Here, G20 and international financial institutions have a crucial role to play. Bangladesh is ready to support their efforts for tailoring actionable recommendations to tackle the crisis.
2) Bold, concrete and concerted actions must be taken at the global level for ensuring global peace and stability for greater benefit of humanity. All major economies should act upon their due responsibilities, for the cause of global development.
3) As a member of the troika of Climate Vulnerable Forum, I would like to urge all to operationalise Loss and Damage Fund as early as possible for creating additional financing mechanisms to address climate induced migration.

Hasina thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India for inviting Bangladesh as a guest country and said, "This gesture reflects the depth and warmth of our two friendly countries' relationship."

She commended Modi for adopting the theme for the summit "One Earth, One Family, One Future" drawn from Maha Upanishad as it upholds the values of all lives on mother Earth and inevitability of working together for better future.

She also thanked India's G20 presidency for raising the voice for the Global South.