Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on weather-vulnerable countries to unite and express their concerns at the upcoming UN climate conference in South Africa. She emphasized the economic cost of climate change, which is currently $130 billion and will rise without prompt action. The Climate Vulnerable Forum, established after the Copenhagen summit in 2009, is a significant voice on climate change. Prime Minister Hasina stated that climate change is an injustice that must be recognized by the global community, as countries like Bangladesh are disproportionately affected despite making minimal contributions to the problem. The inaugural Climate Vulnerable Forum took place in Malé, Maldives in 2009, followed by the second forum in Kiribati the following year. This forum includes small island nations, countries with extensive low-lying coastlines like Vietnam and Bangladesh, and arid nations in East Africa. Hasina expressed disappointment that there has been little support for the adaptation initiatives of vulnerable countries. She noted the lack of direct access to funding and technology, as well as uncertainty about how global funds will be raised for the Green Climate Fund between 2012 and 2020. The prime minister called for vulnerable countries to unite and voice their concerns before the COP17 conference in Durban. She stated that in response to climate change, it is crucial to collaborate with global partners and establish a strong partnership. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, who visited Dhaka for three days, emphasized the importance of launching the Green Climate Fund in Durban. He stressed the need for Durban to fulfill the commitments made in Cancún the previous year, stating that an empty fund would not be adequate. Cancún, Mexico had agreed to launch the fund. He stated that Durban needs to develop a plan of action for addressing loss and damage caused by extreme climatic events, particularly in countries like Bangladesh. The UN Secretary-General emphasized the importance of not burdening the poorest and most vulnerable with the costs of such events. He expressed hope that governments would reach a compromise on the Kyoto protocol to pave the way for a more comprehensive climate agreement in the future. He gave the example of a cyclone in Bangladesh in 1991 that killed 140,000 people, contrasting it with a cyclone in 2007 that claimed 4,000 lives. He highlighted 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 the world when it comes to climate change. If the sea level rises by two meters, approximately 30 million people in Bangladesh could be forced to leave their homes. The Dhaka declaration of the climate forum will be ratified at 4:30pm.