State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Enamur Rahman has said Bangladesh has adopted a 37 billion dollar programme for mitigation of climate change damages in the country’s coastal areas.
The statement gave the information while addressing a COP26 side event organised by the ministry in Glasgow on Thursday afternoon, according to a UNB report published on Friday.
Climate change-related incidents displace about 50,000 people every year in Bangladesh, the minister added.
In his speech at the event, Enamur said Bangladesh is widely considered as one of the most vulnerable countries to global climate change.
He said 30.7 million people were displaced due to natural disasters in 2020.
In 2017, Bangladesh was the 6th most stricken country among 135 countries that experienced displacement due to floods, he said.
The World Bank’s Groundswell report also estimated that by 2050 19 million people of Bangladesh will be migrating internally due to slow-onset climate change processes such as water scarcity, declining crop productivity and sea-level rise.
The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) recognises that displacement has grave implications for the rights and entitlements of individuals and communities.
Bangladesh has framed its National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management in January 2021.
“I am confident that COP26 will be able to develop a mechanism for institutionalizing loss and damage,” he said.
“I am also hopeful that COP26 will be able to introduce concessional instruments in case of climate finance,” he added.