The government of the Netherlands has assured Bangladesh that it will assist the country in implementing its Delta Plan 2100.
Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen expressed her government's readiness to help Bangladesh to this end.
The minister said this during a meeting with Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal, at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, on Monday.
She also stated that the Netherlands will support inland reclamation and river dredging in Bangladesh, said the Embassy on Tuesday, reports UNB.
The Dutch Minister remarked that Bangladesh has always been an important country for a global initiative on climate change.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to join the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA) as Co-Convener and attend the launching of the GCA in The Hague on October 16.
Referring to the invitation, Nieuwenhuizen said that she hopes that Bangladesh’s prime minister will join the GCA and attend the inaugural ceremony; to demonstrate to the world that Bangladesh is at the forefront of climate change adaptation and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Ambassador Belal congratulated the Netherlands for taking the initiative to steer the GCA towards obtaining global political commitments to climate change adaptation and focusing on solutions to climate change.
He also thanked the Dutch government for inviting Bangladesh’s prime minister to join the global initiative.
At the meeting, both the Dutch Minister and Bangladesh’s Ambassador expressed their satisfaction at the fast-growing bilateral relations between the two countries—following the official visit of the PM Sheikh Hasina to the Netherlands in November 2015, and the Dutch twin-ministerial visit to Bangladesh in June 2015.
Referring to the approval of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, on 4 September this year, by the Government of Bangladesh, the Ambassador expressed sincere thanks to the Dutch government for their technical assistance in formulating the plan.
The Ambassador has also sought Dutch support under the broader framework of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 to mitigate long-term flood risks and the adverse impacts of climate change. This would occur through: basin-wide water management, land reclamation, river-dredging, building the capacity of Bangladesh’s River Research Institute, and developing knowledge via education and training.
During the meeting, the Dutch Minister expressed her hope to visit Bangladesh at an opportune time to see, in person, Bangladesh's prowess in climate change adaptation. She would also like to further explore Dutch cooperation in implementing Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.
