Bangladesh faces Global Climate Change issue at The International Symposium on Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia

It is time to move into action to prevent the worst from happening, not just sit around wringing our hands as we realize what the effects of global warming might be in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. Perhaps sitting with International Experts and heeding their suggestions might help us. The struggle the government has after any conference like this, is that it all makes sense, but as NGOs and other organizations line up with their varied project-style solutions the government sits and analyzes, reviews each one, sets up unending TORs, sends them around from one ministry to another for more review and approvals and by the time they finally come to a conclusion Bangladesh is in an even more dire situation at which point none of the projects will be effective enough to overcome the threat facing Bangladesh. Isn't that what happened with the electricity problem we are currently facing and suffering from? So take the proposals and take action. As Julius Caesar said, "Seize the Day!" Himalayan council proposed to address Asian climate issues The visiting Iceland president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson proposed formation of a Himalayan council with nations across the Himalayan region to address the regional concerns over climate changes. ‘It could initially serve as a forum for promotion of the necessary researches and play a role in developing a constructive dialogue on how to address the challenges,’ Grímsson said as he addressed the concluding ceremony of a week-long international symposium on climate change and food security in South Asia at the Sonargaon Hotel on Saturday. His proposal came in replication to the Arctic Council formed after the end of the cold war era in early 1990s by eight countries, including the United States and Russia, to address climate issues. The economic and food security of more than a billion people around the Himalayas will be affected with the melting of the Himalayan glaciers, he pointed out, urging politicians, scientists, businessmen and civic organisations to face the future challenges together. Grímsson, who visited Bangladesh for the first time, was re-elected president of Iceland for the fourth time in 2008. Bangladesh is bound to be affected by the melting of the ice in the Himalayas, often called the water tower of Asia, through its effects on the major rivers that run through the Ganges delta, he said. An academic-turned-politician who studied economics and political science, Grímsson advocated a unified global strategy to prevent the impending disaster from climate change and global warming. Food and energy production for about 800 million people in South Asia depends on the Himalayan water resources which could beget conflicts across the already sensitive borders, said Grímsson. The chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, who addressed the programme as chief guest, stressed the need for working jointly by South Asian nations to face the challenge and properly address the issue in international negotiations. The chief adviser listed the Bangladesh government’s measures to address climate change issues. After discussions on a number of aspects of climate by scientists, academics, officials and civil society actors from home and abroad, the organisers came up with six broader suggestions that included formation of a regional network for climate change and food security, and multi-disciplinary researches on the matter. Fakhruddin said Bangladesh had just completed the preparation for a national climate change management strategy and action plan taking into consideration all the sectors. He informed the audience of the formation of a $45m climate change endowment fund and the setting up of five working groups on adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, financial flows and creating awareness. Fakhruddin observed the world was now united to face the threats of the climate change. ‘We must take integrated steps to combat adverse effects of global warming on food security,’ Fakhruddin said, hoping for a global response from greenhouse gas emitters to address the concerns. He put out a call, saying, ‘This is time for action without delay.’ Presided over by the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, the concluding session was addressed, among others, by the education and commerce adviser, Hossain Zillur Rahman, the chief adviser’s special assistant in charge of environment and forest, Devashish Roy, the director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre at Ohio University, Rattan Lal, FAO regional representative for Asia and the Pacific Changchui He and World Meteorological Organisation representative MVK Sivakumar. The University of Dhaka, Ohio State University, World Meteorological Organisation, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific organised the symposium, inaugurated by the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, on August 25 in Dhaka. Dhaka Declaration of Symposium S Asian climate change network a must to combat challenges The International Symposium on Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia in its Dhaka Declaration has recommended creating South Asian Network on Climate Change and Food Security and establishing South Asia Climate Outlook Forum to combat challenges of climatic changes in the region collectively. The five-day symposium that concluded at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital yesterday also emphasised the need for stimulating multi-disciplinary research on the burning issue and identifying effective mitigation and adaptation options, including carbon sequestration in different ecosystems. The programme was jointly sponsored by Ohio State University, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Food and Agriculture Organisation, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Dhaka University and the Bangladesh government. Around 250 participants from 17 countries attended the event. Prof Rattan Lal, director of Carbon Management and Sequestration Centre of Ohio State University, presented the Dhaka Declaration. Experts at the programme observed that climate change will increase temperature, decrease availability of fresh water, contribute to the rise in sea level, glacial melting in the Himalayas, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, and shifting of cropping zones in South Asia affecting agriculture and food sector, economy, societies and environment. Prof Lal said, "The serious problems of soil degradation and desertification are likely to be exacerbated by climate change through accelerated erosion, fertility depletion, salinisation and acidification and that subsistence agriculture, characterised by low productivity and extractive farming, is extremely vulnerable to such climatic change." In the wake of such threats, the symposium urged the development partners and the private sector to fund implementation of programmes that reflect the recommendations. The other recommendations include initiating and strengthening cooperation among academic and research institutions, international organisations, and NGOs to provide opportunities for strengthening institutions, human resource development and capacity building. The symposium also suggested developing innovative financial mechanisms to scale up technical and financial support for the adaptation efforts of the South Asian countries and strengthening regional institutional and policy mechanisms to promote and facilitate implementation of location-specific adaptation and mitigation practices. The Declaration says, "Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia Network and South Asia Climate Outlook Forum both to be maintained by the WMO will share information on management of climate change and related science, data, tools and methodologies in South Asia." They will also generate data on solar heating as it relates to the effects of soot, aerosols and particulate material emissions on radiation balance, rainfall patterns and regional climate change. The proposed network and the forum will develop seasonal climate predictions to assist farmers to optimally adjust their planting dates, crop varieties and management practices to reduce agricultural vulnerability to hydro-meteorological hazards, it notes. These will promote adoption of proven sustainable technologies related to better soil, crop, livestock and fishery and water management in order to increase food productivity by enhancing efficiency of inputs such as fertiliser, water, energy and labour, it adds. They will create mechanisms to pay farmers for ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration in soils and reductions of gaseous emissions related to deforestation, degradation of agricultural soils, grasslands and water quality improvement, and reduced emissions of methane and nitrous oxide from agricultural and forestry land uses. The experts at the symposium said these two bodies would also establish regional early warning system of climatic risks and improve collection and dissemination of weather-related information by improving weather station networks to strengthen monitoring of extreme events and their impacts on food production and availability.

Talking Points on Nation Branding

What is Nation Branding and what are the benefits?

The concept of nation branding was elaborated by Simon Anholt in 1998 through his article “Nation Brands of the 21st Century” in the Journal of Brand Management where he pointed out that “brands create a value that is invisible”. Anholt, a market researcher from the corporate sector, reckons that brand is a “multiplier of value and as such represents a substantial advantage for its owner; it is as good as money in the bank.”

Recently I have come across many articles, blog posts and other documentation that suggest that Branding or Re-Branding Bangladesh would have a positive economic effect in Bangladesh. I have asked the public for the opinion and it's astounding to me that no one commented or gave an opinion.

The article (yet another) below elaborates a bit on Nation Branding and appeared in the Daily Star Newspaper in Bangladesh in July:

Rebranding Bangladesh

Mamun Rashid

My friend and teacher, Professor Ferhat Anwar, may be angry with me, for it is premature to 're-brand' Bangladesh, when we are only at the primary stages of 'branding Bangladesh'. But my humble arguments for him would be-- take it or leave it.
Bangladesh has already been branded as a corrupt, natural calamity prone, weak-governance plagued poor country, therefore, we need to share the story of a new Bangladesh, a forward-looking Bangladesh, identified and doing its home work specific for a middle income country, where its entrepreneurship will be highlighted, resilience talked about, success in poverty alleviation, religious and political harmony discussed and cultural homogeneity respected.

The international community is noticeably hesitant to acknowledge several of our achievements in the last few decades even though these achievements are considerably better than many other countries which the world views favorably. However, it would be self-defeating for us to act like a cry-baby and blame the international community for this unfair treatment. We have to admit that we have a problem in projecting the country and the true spirit of its people. This incapability of ours creates the necessity to focus on `re-branding' Bangladesh.
In developing a brand identity for Bangladesh, we must understand what we really understand by the term 'branding'. Commercial brand management is basically a process of marketing management by the seller of a product to enhance the value of the product or to create differentiation with the competitors. Marketing guru Philip Kotler explained that a brand is basically a seller's promise to deliver a specific set of features, benefits, and services consistently to the buyers. It can convey up to six levels of meanings: attributes, benefits, values, culture, personality, and user. The branding challenge is to develop a deep set of positive associations for the brand. A marketer must decide at which level or levels of meaning to anchor the brand identity.
Nation branding is basically a derivative from the commercial brand management process, which aims to measure, build, and manage the reputation of countries. It applies some approaches from commercial brand management practice to countries, in an effort to build, change, or protect their international reputations or external perception at the minimum. It is based on the observation that the 'brand images' of countries are just as important to their success in the global market place as those of products and services. Simon Anholt is normally credited as a pioneer in this field. Nation branding appears to be practiced by many states, including US and UK (where it is officially referred to as Public Diplomacy) and most West European countries. There is increasing an interest in the concept from less developed countries to create more favorable conditions for foreign direct investment, tourism, trade, and even political relations with other countries.

We should focus on developing our own brand. What factors should drive the case of our branding? How should it be driven?
The key to attaining an effective brand identity is to activate adequate positive associations with all these experiences, good or bad. For an example, we are known all over the world for the sufferings and destruction we face due to natural calamities year after year. However the same incident could have been transformed into a major brand identity if we could have positively associated the courage, commitment, and resilience of our people who even after all these natural disasters have continued to develop the country with some remarkable achievements.

We have invented micro-credit to fight our own poverty and are willing enough to share it with the rest of the world. We are competing with the giants of the world in the ready-made garments market and successfully growing each year. We have continuously faced obstacles, but we have not removed ourselves from the path to our destination. Thousand years of culture and civilisation has given our people the ability to dream with which we fight against all adversities.
Driving the process of building brand for a country is a much bigger effort than any other commercial product. It requires a true common representation of the aspiration of the people of the country. People of the country must be able to believe in the image projected by the brand proposition.

That is why re-branding Bangladesh will have to be driven from various forums -- the government, political parties, civil society, media, professionals, private sector, workers and farmers, urban and rural people, etc. When all of us can share the common minimum identity, we shall be able to establish Bangladesh as rejuvenated brand equity. We need to send a message to the international community that we mean business, we encourage entrepreneurship and wealth creation, we are committed to create enough economic activities to eradicate poverty, there is policy continuity despite change of the government and democracy means the same thing here as elsewhere.
I would conclude again with a quote from my teacher and `Guru' of the marketing world Philip Kotler- "Bangladesh is at the stage where its business and government personnel need to develop a dynamic marketing mindset regarding problems and opportunities that they face. Marketing is a mindset. Bangladesh must also move to this mindset whose mantra is 'Create Superior Value for Chosen Groups of Customers'. You need to turn your mind to think about consumer and business needs and find ways to offer more value than your competitors. I hope that you will succeed.”

The writer is an economic analyst.

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Again, I refer to the article written by Ifty Islam that lays out the numerous reasons why this is so important. His article also appeared the Daily Star this August

The importance of defining Brand Bangladesh

Ifty Islam

 

The Incredible India campaign has been a huge success. Bangladesh is still searching to determine its brand, a good tool in raising positive awareness about the country.

In 2007 Vietnam attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows of $ 20bn and if Bangladesh is to benefit from the surge in global investor interest in Asia, we need to address the key questions of “Why Bangladesh? Why Now?”. A new and effective strategy for developing Brand Bangladesh will be a critical part in credibly answering these questions.
One report from leading brand consultants Interbrand, defined Nation Branding as “the ability to act and speak in a coordinated and repetitive way about the themes that are the most motivating and differentiating a country can make.” There is actually a ranking, the Anholt Nation Brand Index, which has the UK, Germany and France leading a list of 38 countries. The 2007 Report noted “Globalisation means that countries compete with each other for the attention, respect and trust of potential customers, investors, tourists…a strong and positive nation brand provides a crucial competitive image.”
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by a number of final year IBA students who were completing a thesis on national branding. I suggested that we start by playing a word association game to decide what “Brand Bangladesh” is, which is clearly a necessary pre-requisite to deciding what we want it to become.
We collectively tried to summarize what the rest of the world thinks when they hear the word “Bangladesh”. The five leading candidates were 1) Natural Disasters; 2)Poverty ; 3)Political Instability ; 4)Corruption; and 5) Grameen/Professor Yunus. Clearly 4 negative connotations offset by an example of Bangladesh's considerable contribution to the world.
The next question I had for the students was what words would we like the rest of the world to think when they heard “Brand Bangladesh”. We concluded with five new themes: 1) Adjacency to India and China; 2) A young, dynamic and entrepreneurial population of 150mn people; 3) A land of innovation in micro finance with the Grameen revolution and Professor Yunus; 4) Untapped opportunities for global investors looking for a new economic platform in the heart of Asia; 5) Substantial and largely untapped intellectual/commercial capital from Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) platform. At least these offer some food for thought as to what Bangladesh should be and I'm sure a number of you have more suggestions.
We can agree “Brand Bangladesh” is important and we have begun to think about what we do and don't want it to be. But how do we go about marketing? There is a lot more resources available than is commonly assumed. Yes the Board of Investment and Parjatan and other Government agencies are stretched. But we have in reality hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of “Brand Ambassadors” at our disposal - the large NRB community. We just need to find an effective strategy to leverage it. This might involve creating an NRB database and greater support and encouragement for events like the Asia Society seminar held in New York last month that was, in fact, co-organized by NYBAP, an NRB professional's organisation. Government, possibly, with some support from multilateral agencies, should fund a professional marketing campaign. It will be money well spent.
So what should our slogan be in the light of “Malaysia, Truly Asia” and “Incredible India”? While I am as much a fan of alliteration as the next man, I came up with the following three possibilities:
1) “Bangladesh, the Next Asian Tiger”
2) “Bangladesh, the Emerging Asian Tiger”
3) “Bangladesh, at the Heart of Asia”
I have a slight preference for the first I must confess combining the themes of Bengal Tiger, Asia (very popular with investors) and a sense of forward thinking.
In the interests of democracy and for a little fun, might I suggest we vote on it. Please send your preferences among the three alternatives above, and indeed any other catchphrases you think are better, to info@at-capital.com and I will reveal the results in my next column in two weeks time.
If Bangladesh is to emulate the fastest growing neighbours in the rest of Asia, we need to take the challenge of defining and marketing “Brand Bangladesh” seriously. There are likely to be differences between the brand strategy for attracting investment versus tourism but we need as a country to agree what the broad themes.
I look forward to hearing and sharing the responses from my fellow “Brand Ambassadors”.

Ifty Islam is the Managing partner of Asian tiger capital partners and formerly Managing Director and head of global macro strategy at citigroup, London.

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Many people may wonder what the big deal is and why I (and countless others) are stressing about this topic. Branding can build a nation, the right branding that is. Right now Bangladesh is stagnating under a bad label (brand).

What do people envision when they hear the mere word "Bangladesh"?

Third World Country, Poor people, devastation by floods, and maybe they remember Dr. Yunus is from Bangladesh and won the Nobel Prize for microcredit (giving loans to poor villagers struggling to run businesses).

What is positive about that picture? Nothing.

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I suggest reading the following article written by Ehsan Imdad, Ph.D. who was a presenter at last year's NRB conference and the Author of "The Art of Marketing Communication and Corporate Culture".

Branding Bangladesh Article by Ehsan Imdad - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Branding Bangladesh Article by Ehsan Imdad

Let's build a better Bangladesh together, a good brand is the first step towards a brighter tomorrow. Please leave a comment, suggestion or anything you'd like to say.

 

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