By Xinhua
Dhaka : Bangladesh government will hold a major international conference in Europe next month to draw donors’ attention to the effects of climate change in the country, local newspaper The Financial Express reported Sunday.
The “International Conference on the Impact of Climate Change on Bangladesh” follows two devastating natural disasters last year which have killed over 5000 people and affected some 20 million people across the delta country.
The government and experts have blamed the changes in the global climate pattern for the disasters.
“We are looking for a venue in a major European Union or Scandinavian cities to hold the conference in late February. Paris, London and Brussels are our main options,” a senior official of Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the finance ministry was quoted as saying.
“We will highlight the impact of climate change on the country. We will give them a detailed picture on the issue and hope to get donors assurance to overcome the disasters in a sustainable way,” he said.
Impoverished Bangladesh has been one of the worst victims of changes in global climate system, with floods and cyclones becoming a permanent feature in its annual calendar, putting at risk the livelihoods of millions of its poor people.
The ERD official said the government would present a number of papers at the conference, outlining the future impact of the climate change in the country and possible measures to protect millions of vulnerable people and the ecology.
“Our aim is now to build a sustainable protection against recurring natural disasters,” he added.