'Govt losing fund for failing to keep int'l commitments'

They said in most cases, the government could not meet the obligations under the international treaties due to lack of proper knowledge and co-ordination among the different agencies.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organised the seminar to present a report on 'International Environmental Treaty Obligations' at its auditorium in the city.

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"Sometimes we do not even know how many treaties we have signed and what we are supposed to do for that," said Sabihuddin Ahmed, secretary of the environment and forest ministry.

He laid emphasis on developing proper cataloging system in the ministry so that the officials concerned could get all the documents easily.

Dr Asaduzzaman presented a keynote paper on 'Obligations of international treaties on environment towards a sustainable development' at the seminar.

He said in most cases, the government officials in our country sign the international conventions without understanding the issues properly.

But in developed countries, the government always examines and takes the opinion of the lawyers before signing any treaty to avoid unwanted obligations, he added.

Although we face some obligations by signing a treaty, we also get facilities from the international bodies to protect and develop our environment, said Dr Ainun Nishat, the country representative of IUCN-World Conservation Union.

Presided over by BIDS Director General Dr Shahbuddin, the seminar was also participated by Mahfuzullah Khan, Dr Fahmida, Naser Khan and Dr Moqsud Ali.