[Dhaka Tribune] Transparency is absent at all levels, in the governments of developing nations, donor agencies, NGOs and in developed countries which should disburse climate finance, speakers said at a climate change discussion yesterday.An attitude of transparency should be shown at all levels, from fundraising to implementing projects that tackle the negative impacts of global warming, they said at the Integrity Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation Finance: Transparency, Accountability and Participation.
"The government already spent much money to tackle several projects, but that does not mean funds will return proper output," said Dr Saleemul Huq, director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development.
Developed countries often refrain from their funding pledges, the speakers also said.
Citing an example of the "New" and "Additional" fund commitment by developed countries as climate finance, Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadeque Ahmed, project coordinator of Community Climate Change Project, said only 33% of these funds are really new; the rest are formerly declared.
He said developed countries have pledged to give $10.3 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) till date, but the fund holds only $6.8 billion.
Besides this, developed countries never prioritise the demand of "financing balance between Adaptation and Mitigation," which developing countries have long desired, he added.
Sanjoy Vashisht, director of Climate Action Network in South Asia, said the climate finance is supposed to be fixed by the "Polluters pay Principle."
Yet ironically, the polluters are fixing the rate and modalities of climate finance, he added.
Prof Emeritus Ainun Nishat said all stakeholders, including government agencies and donor agencies, should be brought under close accountability, as many of their capacity-building projects needlessly waste money.
The day-long international conference, attended by foreign delegates working on climate change, was organised by Transparency International Bangladesh.