Dhaka-Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) urged the government not to take US$2 billion loan from the World Bank (WB) as climate finance.“We should not take the fund rather it would be wise to seek compensation from the WB as Bangladesh is the worst affected country due to climate change,” TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said at a press conference on Climate Equity Week 2016 at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity yesterday.
“We should ensure so that affected people would not have more burden of loan on them rather they should have compensation,” he added.
Bangladesh is entitled to compensation in the form of grants, rather than loans, he said.
TIB has voiced concerns over the World Bank’s intention of expanding its lending portfolio by providing a loan of $2 billion to Bangladesh as climate finance over the next three years.
Iftekharuzzaman said developed countries have pledged to give 6 year to 36 billion dollars pledged 36 thousand crore US$ in 6 years since 2010 while they were supposed to give 10 thousand crore US$ annually. As a result, affected people and countries are being deprived, he said.
He urged the government to demand for the climate change compensation at the 22nd session of Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to be held in Bab Ighli in Morocco on November 7-18, 2016.
The WB on 18 October committed to providing Bangladesh with $2 billion over the next three years in fresh funding to help the nation tackle and adapt the negative impacts of climate change.
WB Group President Jim Yong Kim in a two day visit in the country said: “Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and we must do all we can to support the government in its efforts to adapt to this growing threat.”-STAFF REPORTER
