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Bangladesh

Volume 502: debated on Thursday 10 December 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the potential effect of sea level rises in the country. (305921)

Environmental specialists studying the effects of climate change in Bangladesh believe that as many as 30 million Bangladeshis could be affected by a one metre rise in sea level. When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain on 28 November 2009, they discussed the importance to Bangladesh of a robust deal on climate change. This included calling for a fair, equitable and global deal at Copenhagen, particularly on adaptation and mitigation, and sufficient, predictable and additional international finance. We will continue to work closely with the Bangladesh Government and civil society to secure an equitable deal at Copenhagen this week.