Speakers at a recent seminar emphasized that several long-term plans, including the Centenary Delta Plan, have been formulated in Bangladesh to address the impacts of climate change. However, they noted that the budget allocation required to implement these plans is not reflected in the Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year 2024-25.
The seminar on self-reliant climate finance was jointly organized by EquityBD, AOSED, CLEAN, CSRL, and COAST Foundation at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
Climate expert Dr Qazi Kholikuzzaman Ahmad presided over the seminar, which was conducted by EquityBD’s Chief Moderator Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
Abul Hasan, Head of the Coast Foundation’s climate project, presented the keynote at the seminar. Panel speakers included Sharif Jamil of Water Keepers Bangladesh, Hasan Mehdi of CLEAN, Ziaul Haque Mukta of CSRL, AHM Bazlur Rahman of BNNRC, Aminur Rasul of Unnayan Dhara Trust, and Pradip K. Roy of Online Knowledge Centre.
In his keynote paper, Abul Hasan highlighted three demands for climate finance -- Allocation of at least three percent of GDP to climate finance in the national budget, following policies and plans to reduce dependence on foreign loans; inclusion of the National Strategy Paper on Displacement Management in the climate finance revenue framework and prioritizing its allocation and ensuring adequate allocation based on local needs, separate from the traditional allocation for embankment construction for coastal protection.
