DHAKA, June 23, (V7N) — Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, today urged all Asian nations to work jointly to address the escalating global water crisis, calling it one of the world’s most urgent challenges.
He made the remarks during a courtesy call by a high-level South Korean delegation led by Ha Sang Je, Secretary General of the Asia National Assembly Water Consultative Board (AAWC), at his office in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
“The water crisis has become so severe that for some countries, including Bangladesh, it has emerged as a matter of life and death,” the Speaker said.
He said the situation is particularly acute in South Asian nations like Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. On transboundary water-sharing, he noted that Bangladesh has been in talks with neighboring India since independence to secure its fair share of water resources, according to a press release.
During the meeting, AAWC Secretary General Ha Sang Je requested the Speaker’s support to involve Bangladeshi MPs in the organization’s efforts to tackle the global water crisis. He also invited the Speaker to the AAWC annual conference set for Laos in 2026.
The Speaker commended AAWC’s work since 2019 to address water challenges through legal and institutional frameworks. He praised its legislative initiatives engaging parliamentarians across Asia to boost cooperation on water management.
He assured the delegation he would recommend Bangladeshi lawmakers’ participation in AAWC activities and expressed confidence that Bangladesh would join the upcoming conference in Laos.
AAWC is an inter-parliamentary platform of lawmakers from Asian countries, working to enhance legislative and policy cooperation on water security, climate change, water resource management, and sustainable development.
South Korean Ambassador Kim Ji-jun and Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md. Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan were also present at the meeting.
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