Bangladesh is likely to play a ‘central role’ in the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit that begins in Turkish city Istanbul on Monday by helping to create new global policies, given the experience it has gained over the years.

Global leaders will come together for two days to renew joint efforts and stand up for humanity and take action to prevent and reduce human sufferings.

The two-day Summit is designed to represent the perspectives and proposals of all countries across the world, including Bangladesh.

A high-level Bangladesh delegation will participate in the Summit and share its experiences and best practices.

The United Nations finds the summit important for Bangladesh as it is heavily affected by the challenges wrought by climate change, including the rising number of internally displaced people.

“The Summit is of special importance for Bangladesh,” said UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Robert Watkins adding that it is anticipated that Bangladesh will play a central role in the Istanbul Summit.

Ahead of the Summit, he wrote an article and mentioned that the pressure of effectively assisting displaced people in Bangladesh is expected to increase in the coming years primarily due to the increasingly adverse impact of climate change. “In addition, Bangladesh has been hosting people fleeing from conflict in neighbouring Myanmar since the late 1970s,” said Watkins.

He observed that Bangladesh is in an earthquake-prone region where two fault-lines cross the country's northeast and southeast.

In the past year alone, Bangladesh's neighbours have had to deal with several destructive earthquakes which were also felt here in Bangladesh. Experts predict that similarly strong earthquakes can strike Bangladesh at any moment.

Watkins said Bangladesh has had considerable success over the years in decreasing the number of victims from cyclones and floods through the introduction of various reforms and preventative policies.

The UN Resident Coordinator said the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations System in Bangladesh are working closely with the government, along with civil society and development partners, to support their efforts in responding to ongoing humanitarian-related issues in the country and preparing for any new disasters which may occur.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present an ‘Agenda for Humanity’ in the Summit and urge global leaders to commit to five core responsibilities.

These core responsibilities are global leadership to prevent and end conflict through political solutions, as conflicts drive 80 percent of all humanitarian needs and focus on upholding the norms that safeguard humanity, as some 90 percent of people who are killed or injured in deliberate or indiscriminate attacks in wars are civilians.

Ahead of the summit, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Catalina Devandas-Aguilar, has urged States worldwide to take into account the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in their humanitarian responses.

The UN human rights expert also called on all governments and organisations to endorse the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.

The Charter, a set of key principles to make humanitarian action more inclusive of persons with disabilities, will be launched during the Summit.

UNB/LY