Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia Saturday said that protection of the environment was a political commitment of her party and urged other parties to Include it in their agenda.

"Protecting the environment is our political commitment. The very existence of mankind is linked to the environment. So we have taken it as a national issue," she said while inaugurating a seminar on World Environment Day at the Osmanl Memorial audito-rium.

It « my appeal io the political parties and social organisations that they take it as a party agenda to mobilise the people," she said at the seminar organised by the Environment Directorate.

The seminar was part of the observance of World Environment Day, observed in the country as elsewhere in the world yesterday to create awareness among the people to check pollution for the protection of global environment.

The Prime Minister termed the theme of this year's environment day "Poverty and the Environment: Breaking the Vicious Circle" as timely and apt for the Third World countries Including Bangladesh where poverty is causing various problems including environmental degradation.

Environment degradation is a global problem and united International efforts should be made to protect the universe, Begum Zia said.

Referring to Bangladesh's commitment to the cause of global environment protection, she said that the country signed the UN declaration at the Rio Earth Summit and has also been actively participating in programmes for the protection of the environment within the framework of the SAARC. ’

Begum Zia hoped that national, International and regional Initiatives would add a new dimension to the efforts of maintaining the ecological balance.

She said "We did not contribute to the degradation of the environment but we were one of the worst victims of this global scourge."

The Prime Minister said that the desertification process in the northern region of the country was gradually getting worse and the sea level was also rising.

According to an international survey, rise of the sea level by one metre may inundate 16 per cent of our coastal region, she pointed out.

She said that about 8.5 crore saplings would be planted this year as part of a green belt being created along the coasts.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed that her government has taken up the challenge to protect the environment by breaking the more than 100-year old poverty circle.

"We have taken up the issue of the environment as part of our development programme and we have adopted policies ' for alleviation of poverty," she said.

Begum Zia mentioned the establishment of the Interna- tional Centre of Science, Technology and Environment for Densely Populated Regions (1CSTED) in Dhaka with cooperation from Nobel laureate Abdus Salam’s Italy-based Third World Academy of Science.

Forests and Environment Minister Abdullah Al-Noman, State Minister for Forests and Environment Gayeswar Chandra Roy, Secretary of the Ministry Abdus Selim and Director General of the Environment Directorate Resalat Ahmed also spoke at the seminar attended by ministers, MPs and diplomats.

Noman, In his address, pointed out the different adverse effects being faced by the country due to global environmental degradation.