By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
The International Parliamentarians Union president has hailed the strides and initiatives made by Qatar on issues concerning the sustainable development of its economy.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the fifth Civil Defence Exhibition and Conference, Saber Hossein Chowdhary said the importance accorded to such a vital topic by Qatar is evident from the organisers decision to make it the theme of the conference.
While explaining the strides being made by the IPU on the issue, the parliamentarian from Bangladesh said the theme has been gaining attention from all over the world ever since such a burning topic as climatic change began to be debated at international
forums.
The parliamentarian said the conferences held in Japan earlier this year and last month’s meeting in New York attended by several world leaders during the UN General Assembly reiterated the commitment of world leaders to the issues of climatic change which is very much related to sustainable development.
In December, there would be another gathering on the issue of ‘sustainable development in the face of global
climate change’ in Paris.
Chowdhary said in the 11 years between the year 2000 and 2011, there was a loss of $1.7trn on account of climatic changes and natural
calamities across the world.
More than 2.7bn people were affected and more than 1.1mn lines perished, said the IPU leader while expressing his concerns on the possibilities of major calamities and disasters in many parts of the world owing to climate change at an accelerated pace.
While highlighting the necessity of effective steps to meet the challenges of climate change, Chowdhary said Qatar needs to take more effective steps, especially in view of growing levels of construction activities in preparations for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. However, the speaker said he is happy at the growing levels of awareness about the whole issue in Qatar.
Saber Hossein Chowdhary
