Sustainable Development
Rich nations should assist LDCs: Minister
Developed countries should provide additional money as assistance for sustainable development of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including Bangladesh, said Environment and Forest Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.
“There is no alternative to sustainable development to face the problems created due to climate change,” he said while taking part at the panel discussion of the three-day conference titled Stockholm+40 - Partnership Forum for Sustainable Development that began here on Monday.
At the discussion, Dr Hasan said developed countries were responsible for climate change in many ways while the LDCs, including Bangladesh, were the victims of adverse impact of climate change. So developed countries should take their historic responsibilities to minimise the ecological damages in developing countries, the minister said.
The results and dialogue from Stockholm+40 will be taken forward to provide important input for Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June.
Earlier, Swedish king Karl-XVI Gustaf inaugurated the conference.
Civil society policy makers of different countries attended the panel discussion in which former Swedish environment envoy Lars Goran Engfeldt, Stockholm Conference in 1992 Secretary General Mourice Strong and the UNDP Director for UN Affairs Alison Drayton spoke.
Later, Dr Hasan visited Ostergotland, a Swedish province, where governor of the area Elizabeth Nilsson welcomed the minister.
The environment minister visited different sustainable development work there and sought cooperation of the governor to provide knowledge and technological assistance to Bangladesh for sustainable development at different levels.
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