Vietnam on Wednesday agreed to a declaration in Bangladesh about continuing the Kyoto protocol with 18 other climate- vulnerable countries.

Vietnam on Wednesday agreed to a declaration in Bangladesh about continuing the Kyoto protocol with 18 other climate- vulnerable countries.

The Dhaka Declaration following a ministerial meeting filled the leadership vacuum ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference will be held in Durban, South Africa, between November 28 and December 9.

It called on Durban to continue a second term of the Kyoto protocol and a legally-binding agreement on greenhouse gas emissions cuts.

The declaration also reaffirms the countries’ commitment to climate change adaptation and calls for financial support from developed countries.

Sheik Hasina, honorable prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Bangladesh, presented to the delegates 134 climate change adaptation and mitigation action plans.

Hasina said deaths caused by climate change increased by more than 300,000 last year, and vulnerable countries suffer the most.

The 19 signatory countries who adopted the declaration were Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam.