Nairobi: Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed has called upon the global community to take decisive, coordinated, and adequately financed actions to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Emphasizing the need for predictable financing, she highlighted that climate-vulnerable countries cannot confront these challenges without sufficient resources and access to technology.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Dr. Farhina made these remarks while delivering Bangladesh's National Statement at the Plenary of the 7th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), held in Nairobi, Kenya. Additional Director General of the Department of Environment Ziaul Haque was also present at the plenary as a member of the Bangladesh delegation.
Highlighting the financial strain on developing nations, Dr. Farhina remarked that in the absence of support, governments are forced to divert scarce funds from health, education, and social protection towards disaster response, jeopardizing the future of generations to come. She urged UNEA-7 to help mobilize resources through multilateral environmental agreements in a coherent and synergistic manner.
Recalling the urgency of the global environmental emergency, Dr. Farhina underscored the need for international solidarity and compassion. She noted that climate change is a daily reality for Bangladesh, with extreme heat, cyclones, floods, sea-level rise, and riverbank erosion continuing to displace millions and degrade vital ecosystems.
Despite contributing less than 0.5 percent of global emissions, Bangladesh continues to demonstrate leadership in addressing these issues. Dr. Farhina highlighted the country's enhanced NDC 3.0 submitted within the global deadline, which aims to generate 25 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2035, five times higher than the current level. Bangladesh is also advancing the implementation of its National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2023) and scaling up locally led adaptation efforts across vulnerable regions.
Addressing biodiversity loss, Dr. Farhina described the immense pressure on natural resources in a densely populated nation of 180 million people. She outlined Bangladesh's ongoing implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2026-30), the National Conservation Strategy, the Ramsar Strategic Plan (2026-30), Land Degradation Neutrality targets for 2030, and other national policies on environment, forests, and biosafety.
Regarding pollution, she reaffirmed Bangladesh's pioneering role as the first country to ban thin plastic bags. Dr. Farhina stated that ambition works when it is backed by strong policy and public commitment. Bangladesh has since introduced separate regulations for solid waste, e-waste, medical waste, hazardous waste, and ship-breaking waste management. The country has finalized the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) directives on plastic waste and restricted the production, import, and use of selected single-use plastics. A comprehensive Chemical Waste Management Rules has also been drafted.
Dr. Farhina called upon UNEA-7 to adopt an integrated lifecycle approach to chemicals and plastics, ensuring prevention, safer alternatives, and circularity while protecting informal workers.