Dhaka says vulnerable nations need assured funds to tackle climate, biodiversity and pollution crises
Bangladesh urged world leaders at UNEA-7 to guarantee predictable climate finance, warning that vulnerable nations need assured funding and technology to confront climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution crises globally.
Bangladesh on Friday (December 12) called on the global community to ensure predictable and adequate financing to help climate-vulnerable countries confront the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Delivering Bangladesh’s national statement at the plenary of the 7th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed said decisive, coordinated and well-financed global action was essential to address what she described as the “triple planetary crisis”.
She stressed that countries most exposed to climate impacts cannot respond effectively without sufficient financial resources and access to technology.
“In the absence of support, governments are forced to divert scarce funds from health, education and social protection towards disaster response, jeopardizing the future of generations to come,” she told the assembly, urging UNEA-7 to help mobilize resources through multilateral environmental agreements coherently and synergistically.
The session, held on Friday, December 12, was attended by Md Ziaul Haque, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment, as a member of the Bangladesh delegation.
Highlighting the urgency of the global environmental emergency, Dr Farhina called for stronger international solidarity and compassion, saying climate change was already a daily reality for Bangladesh.
She pointed to rising temperatures, cyclones, floods, sea-level rise and riverbank erosion that continue to displace millions of people and degrade critical ecosystems across the country.
Despite contributing less than 0.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Bangladesh has continued to demonstrate climate leadership, she said. She highlighted the country’s enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), submitted within the global deadline, which aims to generate 25 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2035, five times higher than the current level.
Bangladesh is also moving forward with the implementation of its National Adaptation Plan 2023 and expanding locally led adaptation initiatives in climate-vulnerable regions, she added.
Turning to biodiversity, the environment secretary said Bangladesh’s dense population of around 180 million people places immense pressure on natural resources. She outlined the country’s ongoing efforts under a range of national frameworks, including the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2026–30, the National Conservation Strategy, the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2026–30 and Land Degradation Neutrality targets for 2030, alongside other policies on environment, forests and biosafety.
On pollution control, Dr Farhina reaffirmed Bangladesh’s role as a pioneer, noting it was the first country in the world to ban thin plastic bags.
“Ambition works when it is backed by strong policy and public commitment,” she said.
She said Bangladesh has since introduced separate regulations for solid waste, e-waste, medical waste, hazardous waste and ship-breaking waste management. The government has finalized Extended Producer Responsibility directives for plastic waste and imposed restrictions on the production, import and use of selected single-use plastics. A comprehensive set of Chemical Waste Management Rules has also been drafted.
Concluding her statement, Dr Farhina called on UNEA-7 to adopt an integrated lifecycle approach to chemicals and plastics, with a focus on prevention, safer alternatives and circularity, while ensuring protection for informal sector workers.
