Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on weather-vulnerable countries to come together and raise their concerns collectively at the upcoming UN climate conference in South Africa. She emphasized the economic cost of climate change, which is currently $130 billion and could rise significantly without appropriate and timely action. Hasina made these remarks while inaugurating the Climate Vulnerable Forum 2011 at a hotel in Dhaka on Monday. The Climate Vulnerable Forum has emerged as a significant player in the climate change discourse since the UN summit in Copenhagen two years ago. Hasina stated that climate change is a serious injustice that must be acknowledged by the global community, highlighting that countries like Bangladesh are suffering the consequences despite having minimal or no contribution to the problem. The initial Climate Vulnerable Forum took place in Malé, Maldives in 2009, followed by the second one in Kiribati the following year. This forum brings together small island nations at risk of extreme weather and rising sea levels, countries with extensive low-lying coastlines like Vietnam and Bangladesh, and arid nations in East Africa. Hasina expressed disappointment that there had been no significant support for the adaptation efforts of vulnerable countries. She highlighted the lack of access to funding and technology, as well as uncertainty about how the global community would raise funds for the Green Climate Fund between 2012 and 2020. The prime minister urged vulnerable countries to unite and voice their concerns before the COP17 conference in Durban. She stated the importance of collaborating with global partners to address climate change. United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who was in Dhaka for a three-day trip, emphasized the need to launch the Green Climate Fund in Durban. He stressed that Durban must fulfill the agreements made in Cancún, Mexico, and that an empty shell of a fund is not enough. He stated that Durban needs to develop a plan of action on loss and damage to assist countries like Bangladesh that are severely affected by extreme weather events. He emphasized that the most vulnerable should not have to bear the financial burden. The UN Secretary-General expressed hope for a compromise on the Kyoto protocol to pave the way for a more comprehensive climate agreement in the future. He gave an example of how the death toll in a cyclone in Bangladesh decreased significantly from 1991 to 2007, attributing it to the success of the Bangladesh Cyclone Preparedness programme which involved volunteers using bullhorns and bicycles to evacuate over three million people. Bangladesh is known as one of the most at-risk countries in terms of climate change. If sea levels rise by two meters, approximately 30 million people in Bangladesh could lose their homes. The Dhaka declaration on climate change will be officially adopted at 4:30pm.