Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday received the Local Adaptation Champions Award of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) as Bangladesh won the maiden award for its leading role in introducing local adaptation program to face climate change impacts.
GCA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen yesterday handed over the award to the Prime Minister while paying a courtesy call on her at her official Ganabhaban residence here.
“Bangladesh has won the award for its leading role in taking locally formulated climate adaptation pro-gram,” PM’s Press Secretary Md Nayeemul Islam Khan told a news briefing.
He said the Bangladesh Prime Minister will be in the process of selecting the next award winner accord-ing to the rule of GCA as her country won the award this time.
Bangladesh, the first government to receive the global Local Adaptation Champions Award, won in the Innovation in Devolving Finance category for the Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC).
After receiving the award, the Premier said, “I am deeply honored to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the Government and people of Bangladesh, whose unwavering resilience and innovative spirit have always guided us through natural adversities.”
“This recognition underscores our commitment to sustainable development and climate resilience, and we are grateful for the Global Center on Adaptation’s invaluable support in our journey towards a pros-perous and resilient future,” she continued.
The Prime Minister informed Verkooijen of the measures taken by her government to counter the cli-mate change impacts.
Quoting the Prime Minister, Nayeemul Islam said,” We have established the climate trust fund with our own finances.”
The Prime Minister and the CEO of GCA agreed that the developed countries did not comply with their pledges to give their promised money to the climate fund to help the poor countries vulnerable to cli-mate changes.
Verkooijen appreciated the Bangladesh Prime Minister for her role to provide money from the climate fund in different international programs and requested her to be more vocal to this demand.
He urged the Prime Minister to take prompt measures to release money from the climate fund of Den-mark, otherwise the money will be sent back by December.
The GCA has proposed to build an iconic nature-based floating office adjacent to Dhaka likewise as its office at Rotterdam in Netherlands which drew global appreciation due to its uniqueness.
The Prime Minister suggested to consider areas outside Dhaka, including Kutubdia, to build the office.
Verkooijen appreciated the role of the Prime Minister in climate change and locally developed adapta-tion program to face the climate change.
“I was encouraged by your role to this end. Wherever I go, I refer to Bangladesh and you (PM) for cli-mate adaptation. So, you may consider me as your envoy,” Nayeemul Islam quoted the CEO of GCA as saying.
PM’s Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, Mohammad Salahuddin, among others, were present.
