Environment, Forest and Climate Minister Md. Shahab Uddin said the Government of Bangladesh is working relentlessly to ensure safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for all its citizen.
“We are finalizing our National Adaptation Plan with proper attention to the measures for water and sanitation for all. Our Local Government Division developed a strategy in response to Covid 19 for better management of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Interventions. This Strategy for 2020-2023 period helped us in continuing the maintaining resilience during and post Covid-19 period,” he said.
The minister made the comment at the Sector Minister’s Meeting of the Conference titled ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All, always and everywhere’ held on Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia hosted by its President Joko Widodo. Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was also present in the occasion as one the members of Bangladesh Delegation.
The environment minister said our success in keeping the number of Covid-19 infection and death lower is linked to our achievement in addressing the triple crisis before the outbreak of Covid-19. It has been able to achieve Open Defecation free sanitation and supply of basic water services to 98% of our population. Of our nine commitments to ensure Sanitation and Water for All, four are from the Government and five from the Civil Society Organizations. We could increase our investment for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene by three times over a period of ten years.
Shahab Uddin said Bangladesh has been playing important role as the Chair of the 55 nation Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) under the leadership of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh developed Nationally Determined Contributions, and long-term Delta Plan–2100, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan for turning vulnerability to prosperity and prosperity to. Our self-financed Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund enabled us to undertake 800 projects to combat the impacts of climate change, saving lives and livelihoods of millions of our vulnerable population. We turned our climate change induced challenges into opportunities and giving a better life to our resilient people.