Geneva/Bangkok/Dhaka (WMO/FAO/UNESCAP) – "Large populations in South Asian countries depend on semi-subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods and future projections of climate change impacts indicate that substantial reductions in crop yields from rainfed agriculture could occur. Hence urgent steps must be taken to mainstream climate change adaptation into national development planning," HE Iajuddin Ahmed, president of the People's Republic of Bangladesh stated while opening a workshop at the University of Dhaka today.

"Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia are frontline states in the war against climate change and its adverse impacts on food security and environmental quality," said Prof. Rattan Lal, Director, Carbon Management and Sequestration Center of Ohio State University and Chairman of the International Organizing Committee when addressing the opening session of the 25 to 30 August Workshop on Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia. "Problems facing Bangladesh and South Asia are global Issues which must be addressed at regional scale through cooperation, information exchange, joint ventures and mutual support." […]

"The main determinant of agricultural production in South Asia is still the seasonal variation of precipitation and temperature," said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of WMO. "Droughts, floods, frost-freezes, and heat waves stress both crops and livestock. It is the changing frequency of these events due to climate change that is the main concern in South Asia, and in this regard improved weather and climate information can assist agricultural communities in making better decisions. […] "It is essential to help countries reduce climate-induced risks that might oppose the achievement of the MDGs notably in terms of poverty reduction and food security," Mr Jarraud added.

He Changchui, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, stressed that climate change and food security are nexus as agriculture is both a bearer and a contributor of climate change. "We need a comprehensive strategy and policy framework, involving integrated approach through multidisciplinary team work to better address cross-cutting issues. Hence, government ownership to incorporate identified options into national development planning is crucial for coping with climate change in the agricultural sector."

Siva Thampi, Director, Environment and Development Division of ESCAP, emphasized the importance of policy innovations in tackling the growing problem of climate change in South Asia. "Climate change is a development challenge that requires a holistic approach encompassing all ministries, sectors, as well as civil society organizations and the private sector," he said.

Prof. S.M. A. Faiz, Vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka and President of the Symposium emphasized the need for more effective coordination and cooperation amongst the South Asian countries to tackle the growing threat of climate change: "Universities, research bodies, institutions and organizations throughout the world must put in place collaboration amongst themselves in basic research and in the dissemination of knowledge that might contribute to meeting challenges and take the opportunities, no later than today."

Participants will […] devise a regional Agriculture Mitigation and Adaptation Framework for Climate Change. They are expected to recommend policy and financial innovations to enable smooth implementation of the framework and its integration into the sustainable development planning of South Asia countries. […]