H.E. Dr Msayeedur Khan, Bangladesh High Commissioner, talks about the impact of global warming on his country

Transcript

We have recently been affected by two successive cyclones, Cyclone ‘Sidr’ and Cyclone ‘Aila’. And we have had many other natural calamities like this in the past, because of this global warming-up, due to climate change. Bangladesh is going to be the worst sufferer in the world, so we are very much concerned about this problem, and we believe this is not only our problem, this is a global problem. So, it needs to be solved globally.

This situation has been created by the carbon emissions and other things, so, if you analyse critically, Bangladesh contributed very little to it, maybe nothing, compared to the industrialised countries. So, I feel strongly that it is a moral responsibility of the world community to handle this problem, to tackle this problem, to solve it. That is why the campaign about climate change and it’s consequences, we are very much engaged in it, Bangladesh is doing its best for the adaptation to this situation, and in future how we can tackle this situation, and we are very much concerned about it.

But we alone cannot solve this problem, so I appreciate the British government’s role in this context; they are already helping us through DFID. The British government also advocates for the developed countries, particularly Bangladesh, so we are grateful to them, and it’s better for the British government to play a more effective role in the coming Copenhagen conference. I hope the world community will come to a consensus, to save the millions of unfortunate people who will be homeless if nothing is done at this moment.

Date: 2009-10-29

A Conversation event arranged by the Media Initiative for Public Policy took place on October 29.

The Bangladeshi Foreign Minister attended and spoke of the need for more COMMON action to create more WEALTH. She echoed the British Foreign Secretary’s view that the Commonwealth and its shared values of pluralism, liberal democracy and legal process absolutely had a place in the modern world.

Several key themes emerged:

- The simplicity and informality of many of the Commonwealth’s structures means it could be an effective mechanism for a third of the world’s population to make big decisions

- The Commonwealth could focus more on climate change, given the threat this poses to Commonwealth members such as Bangladesh and the Maldives

- The Commonwealth should do more to assist fragile democracies

- There is not enough awareness of the work of the Commonwealth

This post was written by a member of the Organising Committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Forestry Conference.

With member countries like Bangladesh, Tuvalu and the Maldives on the front-line against rising sea-levels, the Commonwealth should be a loud and respected activist on environmental issues.

The organisation is unique in that it gives small and vulnerable countries an equal voice in international discussions. By projecting the fears of these countries onto the world stage, it has the potential to be the pre-eminent global advocacy group against deforestation and for action to tackle CO2 emissions.

The current tension between poorer countries desire for economic development, and the potential harm this could do to the environment, can only be resolved through dialogue and partnership at the highest level. For instance where forests are being destroyed to make way for farming or destructive mining projects. The Commonwealth could and should be the forum for these discussions.

There are many practical examples of Commonwealth environmental action, such as the Iwokrama project in Guyana, which has created a sustainable ring-fence around an area of threatened rainforest and married this action with equitable relations with local communities. Similar projects could and should be rolled out across all member countries.

As a Commonwealth family we have the potential to learn from one another’s successes and failures. Policy should be formulated at the highest levels of government as a direct result of understanding the experiences of partner Commonwealth countries.

Meetings like our own Commonwealth Forestry Conference need to be bold and ambitious if we are to tackle climate change and restore the Commonwealth’s forests. The does not just mean environmental action. Forest restoration can help community livelihoods, address issues of food security, biodiversity, energy and governance. Many Commonwealth citizens’ lives could be impacted for the better.

If the Commonwealth is searching for a purpose in the 21st Century, then it need look no further than the role of environmental activist. Climate change is a pressing international issue which requires urgent action both now, and for the next generation of Commonwealth professionals. The Commonwealth has the raw potential to tackle this issue.