70 Civil Society Organisations Call On UNESCO to Protect Sundarbans From Proposed Coal-fired Power Plant

As the people from the Sunderbans coastal belt and the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports hold a grand rally in Khulna, Bangladesh, 70 civil society organisations call on UNESCO World Heritage Committee to protect the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, and to cancel the proposed construction of the Rampal coal power-plant project in Bangladesh. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar-listed wetland. According to the civil society organisations, the Rampal coal power-plant project not only threatens the rich biodiversity of the Sundarbans, which also plays a key role in mitigating the impacts of climate change, but also the livelihoods of millions of people and the climate. “We call on UNESCO to protect the Sundarbans and to inscribe this unique ecosystem on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO has already recommended the immediate cancellation of Rampal and now it needs to do its utmost to conserve this extremely ecologically valuable zone,” said Amanda Tas from Protect the Forest. Previously, the civil society organisations also sent appeal letters to the Presidents, Prime Ministers and several Ministers of Bangladesh and India to immediately take whatever steps necessary to halt the coal-fired power plant project in the Sundarbans and to increase investments in renewable solar and wind power. Read the letter sent to UNESCO World Heritage Committee here Contact: Amanda Tas Protect the Forest, Sweden Email: amanda.tas@skyddaskogen.se Mobile: +46 (0)73-5860099 Camille Risler Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Thailand Email: camille@apwld.org Phone: +66 99 504 8764 Wally Menne Timberwatch Coalition, South Africa Email: plantnet@iafrica.com Mobile: +27 (0) 82 4442083 Press contact: Neha Gupta APWLD, India Email: neha@apwld.org Phone: +91-9810 078 055 The open letter is supported by the following NGOs: Abibiman Foundation, Ghana AMIHAN National Federation of Peasant Women, Philippines Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Asia Pacific BankTrack, International Biofuelwatch, UK/USA Botswana Climate Change Network Botswana Friends of the Earth , Bosnia and Herzegovina CHAUKATH voluntary network of feminists, Nepal Climate Action Network, International Climate Litigation Network, Transnational Conservatree, USA Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center (CWEARC), Philippines Cultures of Resistance Network Foundation EcoNexus, UK Ecoropa, Germany Feminist League, Kazakhstan Forum Environment and Development, Germany Forum for Nature Protection NGO, Nepal Foundation for GAIA, International Fragile Planet Earth, South Africa Friends of the Earth US, USA Friends of the Siberian Forests, Russia Friends of the Tamar Valley, UK Nature and Youth, Sweden GenderCC – Women for Climate Justice e.V., International Genethics Foundation, Netherlands Global Environment Centre, Malaysia Global Forest Coalition, International Green IT., Uruguay Greenpeace Russia Grupo Para o Desenvolvimento da Mulher e Rapariga, Mozambique IBON International ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability – Africa, South Africa Institute for Planetary Synthesis, Switzerland Janabhivyakti, India Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund, Japan Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN), Japan Friends of the Earth, Sweden Klimataktion Stockholm, Sweden Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, Korea Michael Underwood Agroforestry Associates Africa, South Africa Mom Loves Taiwan Association, Taiwan National Indigenous Women Forum, Nepal NCA-Afghanistan, Afghanistan New Wind Association, Finland Next Big Thing Movement, Inc, USA Oil Change International Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), USA Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER), Malaysia Planetary Association for Clean Energy (PACE), Canada Protect the Forest, Sweden PUSH Sweden Quercus- National Association for Nature Conservation, Portugal Rainbow Eco-Farm and Training Center NPO, South Africa Re-nourish, USA Rettet den Regenwald, Germany Rewild, South Africa Rutale Development Association, Africa Students for a Just and Stable Future, USA SustainUS, USA Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Sweden Tanzania Youth Coalition, Tanzania TFINS, India Thanal, India The Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa Timberwatch Coalition, South Africa WECF Women Engage for a Common Future, International Wildlife Impact, USA Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO), International World Heritage International, Netherlands YouthNet for Climate Justice, Bangladesh