Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina PM calls for international assistance for countries affected most by impact of climate
Dhaka, Nov 29: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for international assistance for the countries most affected by climate displacement, saying five issues of human mobility need to be addressed to protect them from facing future human crises.
"Most climate displacement occurs within national borders and, in some extreme cases, across borders," she said. "International assistance and solidarity are needed for the most affected countries to prevent such a situation from becoming a humanitarian crisis."
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this in a video statement broadcast at the three-day 114th session of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday at a high-level meeting on 'Climate Impacts on Human Mobility: A Global Call for Solutions'.
The Prime Minister said those displaced or trapped by climate change need to have access to basic services, social protection and livelihood options. Adverse impacts on their host communities also need to be addressed in an inclusive manner.
She said it is estimated that climate change could displace 216 million people worldwide by 2050, 40 million of them in South Asia alone.
She warned that 20 percent of our population in Bangladesh lives in coastal areas. Rising sea levels, salinity intrusion, frequent floods and severe cyclones make them vulnerable to forced displacement. Such displacement is happening faster than we think.
She said that Bangladesh's coastal district of Cox's Bazar is now providing shelter to 12 lakh Rohingya displaced from Myanmar. Some of these people fall victim to trafficking networks that pose a security risk to the entire region. Such mixed migration flows make the issue of climate dynamics even more problematic.
The Prime Minister noted that Bangladesh believes that the impact of climate change on human mobility should be placed high on the international agenda.
She also said that Bangladesh is working with IOM and other partners to highlight the need for an effective solution to the issue.
