Rich must help poorer States in post-2015 development, Bangladesh tells UN Assembly

From the podium of the General Assembly today, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for global aid for poorer countries as the United Nations draws up the post-2015 agenda, an ambitious multi-year development blueprint that aims to eliminate poverty and protect the environment.

“The future development agenda must meaningfully address long-standing resource and capacity constraints of low-income countries,” she said on the fourth day of the Assembly’s annual 69th high-level meeting. “The post-2015 development framework must fulfil our aspirations of building an equitable, prosperous and sustainable world where no person or nation is left behind.

“It must also contribute to a strengthened multilateralism, go beyond national policy space and forge international collaboration. Greater resources would be key to the success of the post-2015 agenda. There is a need for a robust, broad-based global partnership, based on the principles of mutual trust and respect, and common but differentiated responsibility.”

Turning to global warming and the possible rise in sea levels, the Prime Minister stressed that a one degree Celsius increase in temperature is estimated to cause a metre rise in sea-levels, submerging a fifth of Bangladesh. “That might force 30 million of our people to move elsewhere as ‘climate migrants’,” she said.

“For Bangladesh, climate change is a matter of bare existence. In addressing [it], adaptation remains particularly key for us. We have a crucial need for adequate, predictable and additional climate finance; access to locally-adaptable technologies; and support to capacity and institution-building.”

On other issues the prime minister condemned terrorism, violent extremism, radicalization and religion-based politics, and reaffirmed her country’s strong belief in “the centrality and legitimacy of the UN as the custodian of global peace, security and development,” noting that through the years, Bangladesh had contributed 128,133 peacekeepers in 54 UN peace Missions.

“Bangladesh proudly contributes the highest number of women police to UN peacekeeping, commensurate with our women empowerment credentials,” she noted.