Regional bodies in Asia and the Pacific should get dynamic to combat from the front the impacts of climate change, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) expert said from Mexico's Cancun through a teleconference in Dhaka on Monday.

David S McCauley, ADB's chief climate change specialist, said "Enhanced cooperation through regional and sub-regional bodies like SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is vital to address climate change."

It is very important to speed up transfer of cutting-edge technology to mitigate the climate induced challenges, he added.

According to the Manila-headquartered ADB, climate change poses a real economic and environmental threat to the countries in Asia and the Pacific region, which is home to more than half of the world's poor.

McCauley said ADB will continue to play its role in helping the region mitigate the causes and adapt to the consequences of climate change.

He said ADB's five strategic priorities will address the region ' s most pressing climate issues including expanding use of clean energy, encouraging sustainable transport and urban development and managing land use and forests for carbon sequestration.

ADB, which plans to provide its members four billion U.S dollars by 2020, is integrating climate change into planning and investment to ensure continued economic growth and a sustainable future for all in Asia and the Pacific, McCauley said.

He said ADB has so far provided one billion U.S. dollars to its developing member countries under many climate resilient programs.

Bangladesh and some other countries are in certain position to receive additional fund due to their vulnerability to climate induced challenges, he noted.

Regarding global climate investment fund management, he said, " like other regional banks we serve as a partner to channel resources to the recipient countries."

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