A Bangladesh delegation has briefed the UNESCO World Heritage Committee about the Rampal power plant and argued in support of taking the project forward.
The briefing was held at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on Monday. The government delegation was led by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Energy, Power and Mineral Resources Affairs Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.
The energy adviser told the World Heritage Committee that advanced technology would be used to mitigate the possible negative impacts of the Rampal power plant on the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site.
“We need electricity for our economic development, but we are also mindful of the need to save the Sundarbans, it is our prized possession,” he said.
Chowdhury also highlighted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s push to designate the Sundarbans a World Heritage Site in 1997 and the ‘Champion of the Earth’ prize bestowed upon her by the UN exemplified her administration’s commitment towards preserving the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is tasked with overseeing the conservation and protection of cultural and natural sites on its World Heritage List.
Once a site is included in the list, the concerned state bears the responsibility of ensuring its protection.
The 41st session of the World Heritage Committee is to meet in Poland between Jul 2 and Jul 12 to examine the state of conservation of the Sundarbans.
The briefing is a part of the Bangladesh government’s effort to convince the committee of its dedication to save the Sundarbans and ensure its conservation.
Ambassadors and representatives of Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, Indonesia, Kazkhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Turkey, Tanzania and Zimbabwe were present at the briefing session. The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO also attended the briefing.