Fight climate change

Speaker urges CPA leaders

Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, yesterday urged Commonwealth leaders to take intensive and vigorous action to combat climate change. She urged all members of parliaments in Commonwealth countries to immediately implement the steps recommended in the Paris Climate Agreement, citing that small countries of the Caribbean region and Bangladesh are facing a huge threat stemming from climate change, albeit they do not contribute much to the global carbon emission.

Chaudhury said this at the opening ceremony of the 36th Small Branches Conference at Hotel Radisson in the capital. Small Branches comprise countries with a maximum population of five lakh.

Angelo Farrugia, chairperson of the CPA Small Branches and speaker of the parliament of Malta, was also present on the occasion. “The negative impact of climate change is a big threat to all of us. We want to mitigate it with our intensive efforts. Developed countries are mostly responsible for the situation, while smaller countries are suffering the most,” said Chaudhury. She also said many CPA members could not take part in the conference because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria that hit the Caribbean region recently. The CPA has been working actively by exchanging experiences for the flourishing of democracy, she added.

In her opening speech, Chaudhury said that it is necessary to ensure the participation of young people in politics as they would be the future leaders. “The participation of the young generation in politics will help in formulating laws and easing the decision-making process. The CPA is also playing a key role in gender equality and women’s participation in decision-making,” she added. She stressed the need to combat corruption by ensuring transparency and accountability. “If transparency and accountability are ensured, it will empower the people and secure the progress of the country,” she said. The Small Branches committee discussed political problems and the operation of democratic systems.

Fight climate change

Speaker urges CPA leaders

Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, yesterday urged Commonwealth leaders to take intensive and vigorous action to combat climate change. She urged all members of parliaments in Commonwealth countries to immediately implement the steps recommended in the Paris Climate Agreement, citing that small countries of the Caribbean region and Bangladesh are facing a huge threat stemming from climate change, albeit they do not contribute much to the global carbon emission. Chaudhury said this at the opening ceremony of the 36th Small Branches Conference at Hotel Radisson in the capital. Small Branches comprise countries with a maximum population of five lakh. Angelo Farrugia, chairperson of the CPA Small Branches and speaker of the parliament of Malta, was also present on the occasion. The negative impact of climate change is a big threat to all of us. We want to mitigate it with our intensive efforts. Developed countries are mostly responsible for the situation, while smaller countries are suffering the most, said Chaudhury. She also said many CPA members could not take part in the conference because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria that hit the Caribbean region recently. The CPA has been working actively by exchanging experiences for the flourishing of democracy, she added. In her opening speech, Chaudhury said that it is necessary to ensure the participation of young people in politics as they would be the future leaders. The participation of the young generation in politics will help in formulating laws and easing the decision-making process. The CPA is also playing a key role in gender equality and womens participation in decision-making, she added. She stressed the need to combat corruption by ensuring transparency and accountability. If transparency and accountability are ensured, it will empower the people and secure the progress of the country, she said. The Small Branches committee discussed political problems and the operation of democratic systems.