Climate vulnerable nations' right to claim loss, damage stressed

The South Asian Ministers in a meeting said the progress of SAARC is halted for several years because of political reason but due to this the South Asian leaders cannot forget the people of this region who are the victims of natural calamities.
They said we need to make a separate strong platform and raise our voice strongly to ensure our right from the proposed "loss and damage" fund as all the people of the South Asia region are
extremely climate vulnerable.
"Climate has no border, it does not know who is from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or any other countries of here but they are the worst sufferers of flood and drought. Every year at least three to four times we are experiencing these, although they have not contributed like others to damage the environment, so my earnest request to all is to please come forward and talk with each other to create a common platform to address the issue jointly," Pakistan's Climate Minister Senator Sherry Rehman said at a sideline meeting of COP 27 on November 9 at Bangladesh Pavilion.
"We are not talking to each other, we don't sit together but it is time to talk and sit�..today the Indian Minister did not come here, I urged all to realise the issue otherwise there will be no land, no progress and no human being��what will happened to our politics, she said.
The Environment and Climate Minister of Bangladesh had organized the meeting where all the South Asian leaders including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka were invited, however, the Indian officials told the organizers that their minister has an urgent meeting with another group.
"Yes, obviously I'm a Pakistani first, then the people of this region and finally a global human being. It is open that there is global-geopolitics, but we need solidarity to face the natural calamity made by man," Sherry said.
She said it has been estimated that all of us are paying US$215 billion every year to face the calamities, if these things continue, we cannot fight alone as all of our South Asian countries are extremely vulnerable, we should get together and fight together.
"It is we who can take the decision for the people of South Asia, we are sitting together here for a common solution," Sri Lankan Environment Minister Naseer Ahmed said.
"SAARC progress has been halted because of the political crisis, we urged the leaders of this region to work for cooperation, let us develop ourselves with a common voice to address the common issues of South Asia----a South-South cooperation," he remarked.
He said we need to explore the common work areas of climate, energy and create a platform for a sustainable solution of these problems.
Nepal's Minister for Children, Women and Senior Citizen Uma Regmi said we should work together to share our experience, support capacity building for the betterment of the people.
Senam, representative of Bhutan's Minister for Agriculture and Forests has read out a paper with the same aim.
However, Nitesh Kumar was present at the meeting on behalf of the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India.
Bangladesh Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md Shahabuddin, also the present chair of governing council of SACEP, in his closing remark said, "I firmly believe that the Environment ministers meeting of SACEP member states took place at a critical juncture in the climate action in our region."