& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Climate Change

EU pledges Tk 73cr

Encourages implementing strategic plan

Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh has been pledged by European Union a grant of 8.5 million euros, which is around taka 73 crore, to implement the country's strategic action plan for tackling climate change.
The EU yesterday signed a declaration to provide 14.5 million Euros to Bangladesh, Cambodia and Maldives who agreed to work together to achieve a legally binding agreement in the climate conference in Mexico this November.
Of the grant, Maldives will get 3.8 million and Cambodia 2.2 million euros, the EU officials said at a news conference after concludingatwo-day climate conference.
European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Bangladesh's State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud, Cambodian official Ouk Navann and Maldives Environment Minister Aslam Mohammad signed the declaration.
The money is part of 7.2 billion euros that the EU pledged in Copenhagen conference in December last year.
The industrialist countries there promised a total of $30 billion for the countries vulnerable to climate change for 2010-2012.
Bangladesh and EU jointly organised the Asian Conference of
Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.
Ministers and officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal attended the conference.
The EU also organised such regional conferences with the climate vulnerable countries in Asia Pacific, Africa and Caribbean regions.
"Our objective for Cancun, Mexico is to have a legally binding agreement. And, to have that, these regional conferences have very vital roles," said State Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.
During the two-day conference, the delegations from different countries exchanged views, which will help formulate a common policy for the climate vulnerable countries
for final round of negotiations up to Cancun and beyond, he said.
” We need to work very hard up to Cancun. We will con-tinue the progress we achieved in Copenhagen. We did not achieve everything, now we need to take decisions for Cancun to ensure momentum. That must be top of our agenda now," said Connie Hedegaard.
"And, on this very day when a new round of negotiations start in Bonn, we need to say very clearly, this is the time for action," she said.
Asked if the EU has conditions for the funds it is delivering, Connie said the money is totally unconditional. But EU countries insist on governance, as they have to be accountable to the taxpayers.
The EU contribution is also new money, not diverting development budgets to the
climate fond.
It is very clear that the most vulnerable states are trying to integrate climate into development agenda successfully, she said, adding: "Our duty will be to help in this development and that's why my final point should be on the importance of delivering on fast track fund pledged in Copenhagen."
"I can assure you on part of the EU, we will deliver upon pledges in Copenhagen so that we do not only talk about money...," Conniesaid.
Afghanistan's Chief Climate Negotiator Basir Abas, Bhutan's Agriculture and Forests Minister Gyamtsho Pema, Lao's repre-sentative Dr Sithong Thongmanivong, Nepal's environment minister Thakur Prasad Sharma also were present at the news briefing.