Climate Change: Close monitoring of ADB activities stressed

Climate Change Close monitoring of ADB activities stressed

http://thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=56285

Speakers at a consultation yesterday agreed to monitor closely the policies,
projects and programmes of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Bangladesh.

They evaluated the recently drafted national action plan on climate change,
says a press release.

The national action plan was drafted without any public participation
especially the vulnerable communities.

The daylong consultation on 'Environment and Climate Change: Role of the ADB
in Bangladesh' held at the auditorium of Campaign for Popular Education
(Campe) in the city was attended by nearly 40 representatives from NGOs,
civil society organisations, academicians, journalists and human rights
activists.

The speakers demanded that international financial institutions (IFIs) and
northern multinational companies should shed the climate hypocrisy if they
want to consider impacts of climate change on people.

The event was organised by VOICE, a research and advocacy organisation based
in Dhaka, and Manila-based NGO Forum on ADB, an international civil society
network.

While inaugurating the consultation, Ahmed Swapan, executive director of
VOICE, said that the climate change issue is related with neo-liberal
economic policies pushed by northern donors and international financial
institutions especially ADB.

He said that the transnational companies are the major culprits of the
climate change.

While explaining the role of ADB in Bangladesh, Dr Avilash Roul of NGO Forum
on ADB said that ADB must consider or review its future investment in energy
and transport sector in Bangladesh to avoid its hypocrisy on climate change.

So far the ADB has lent the largest amount in the energy sector followed by
transport and communication sectors in Bangladesh.

Roul also said that the ADB has not at all made the climate impact component
prior to designing any projects in Bangladesh.

Waheeda Bashar Ahmed from Action Aid-Bangladesh suggested that any climate
change strategy must involve vulnerable groups concern, which can't be
compromised or negotiable.

Ziaul Haque Mukta, coordinator of Oxfam-International, Asgar Ali Sabri from
ActionAid Bangladesh, Iqbal Hossain from Save the Children-UK, Md Hilaluddin
from Angikar Bangladesh, Hosne Ara from VSO International, Zakir Hossain
from Nagorik Uddog, Sajjad Ansari from In Search of Light, Shawkat Ali from
SHARP, Abdul Jalil from CDP, Remuna Nurain from Bela and Hasan Mehedi from
Humanity Watch also spoke on the occasion.

The consultation detailed out short-term and long-term strategies to work on
climate change. There has been a strategy to bring media into the strategy
on climate change in more concrete way.

Draft climate change action plan draws flak atseminar

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.info/index2.php?page=head_line&page_category_id=4

Speakers at a seminar Tuesday critically evaluated the draft national action
plan on climate change, saying that the action plan was drafted without any
public participation, especially the vulnerable communities.

The day-long consultation on Environment and Climate Change: Role of the ADB
in Bangladesh was organised by Voice, a research and advocacy organisation
based in Dhaka, and the Manila-based NGO Forum on ADB-an international civil
society network, said a press release.

The participants agreed to monitor closely the policies, projects and
programmes of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Bangladesh.

It was addressed, among others, by Ziaul Haque Mukta, coordinator of
Oxfam-International, Asgar Ali Sabri from ActionAid Bangladesh, Iqbal
Hossain from Save the Children-UK, Md. Hilaluddin from Angikar Bangladesh,
Hosne Ara from VSO International, Zakir Hossain from Nagorik Uddog, Sajjad
Ansari from In Search of Light, Shawkat Ali from Sharp, Remuna Nurain from
Bela and Hasan Mehedi from Humanity Watch.

Call to involve public participation in nal'l action plan on climate change

http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=98879

Participants from various civil society organisations agreed to monitor
closely the policies, projects and programmes of the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) in Bangladesh in the face of changing nature of the ADB, Speakers
critical1y evaluated recently drafted national action plan on climate
change. The national action plan was drafted without any public
participation specially the vulnerable communities.

The day long consultation on Environment and Climate Change: Role of the ADB
in 'Bangladesh held at Mohammadpur auditorium was attended by nearly 40
representatives from NGOs, civil society organisations, academicians,
journalists and human rights activists across the country. Speakers demanded
that international financial institutions (IFLs) and northern muttinationa1
companies should shed the climate hypocrisy if they want to consider impacts
of climate change on people.

The event was organised by Voice, a research and advocacy organ1ation based
in Dhaka and Manila based NOG Forum on ADB-an international civil society
networks.
Ahmed Swapan, Executive Director of Dhaka based-NGO-VOICE, while
inaugurating the consultation said that the climate change issue is related
with neo-liberal economic policies pushed by northern donors and
international financial institutions specially ADB. According to Ahmed, the
transnational companies are the major culprit of the climate change.

White explaining the role of ADB in Bangladesh, Dr Avilash Roul from
Manila-based NGO Forum on ADB explained that ADB must consider or review its
future investment in energy and transport sector in Bangladesh to avoid its
hypocrisy on climate change. So far the ADB has lent largest amount in the
energy sector followed by the transport and communication in Bangladesh.
According to Roul, the ADB has not at all made the climate impact component
prior to design any projects in Bangladesh.

Waheeda Bashar Ahmed from Action Aid-Bangladesh convincingly put the
interest of the vulnerable groups in right perspective. She suggested that
any climate change strategy must involve vulnerable groups concerned which
can't be compromised or negotiable.
Among others, Ziaul Haque Mukta, cordinator of Oxfam-International, Asgar
Ali Sabri from Action Aid Bangladesh, Iqbal Hossain from Save the
Children-UK, Md Helaluddin from Angikar Bang1adesh, Hosne Ara from VSO
Intemational, Zakir Hossain from Nagorik Uddog, Sajjad Ansari from In Search
of Light, Shawkat Ali from Sharp, Abdul Jalil from CDP, Remuna Nurain from
Bela, Hasan Mehedi from Humanity Watch put their respective, concerns on the
occasion.

The consultation detailed out short term and long term strategies to work on
climate change issue, There has been a strategy to bring media into the
strategy on climate change in more concrete way.**