Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Thursday urged the developed world to increase funds and technical support in conserving biodiversity.
"At the World Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal last December, Bangladesh raised a strong voice to the developed world to ensure funding in this regard,” he told a workshop held on Thursday.
The minister said that the conference decided to establish a dedicated funding system called the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund for developing and under-developed countries for biodiversity conservation.
In addition to getting money from the international level for biodiversity conservation, its own financing should be increased too, he said.
The workshop titled 'Consultations Workshop on Implementation of Global Biodiversity Framework in Bangladesh' was held at the Department of Environment (DoE) in the city's Agargaon area.
Speaking virtually as the chief guest, the environment minister said multilateral agreements concluded at the international level should be properly implemented to prevent the loss of biodiversity. Work on updating the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) earlier prepared in 2016 in the light of the Global Biodiversity Framework for biodiversity conservation will be initiated soon.
Shahab Uddin said that with the aim of conserving biodiversity, the government as well as the private sector must work together and ensure funding in this regard.
“It will be possible to achieve success only if everyone works together to conserve biodiversity,” he added.
Chaired by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed, the workshop was addressed, among others, by Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Habibun Nahar; Representatives of the Task Team, UN Environment, Nairobi, Dr Alex Owusu Biney; DoE Director General Dr. Abdul Hamid; and Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury.
Deputy Secretary of the ministry Mohammad Abdul Wadud Chowdhury and doE Director Solaiman Haider presented keynote papers at the workshop.
