Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has urged policymakers to treat climate-induced migration as a major public policy priority rather than merely a humanitarian concern.
“It is the need of the hour to integrate migration-related challenges into the country’s ongoing development process,” he said while addressing a workshop held at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka recently.
The workshop was organised by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Speaking as chief guest, the minister noted that alongside natural disasters, political and economic factors are increasingly contributing to migration trends.
He said the government is committed to addressing these challenges through inclusive governance and development planning.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, executive director of RMMRU and a retired professor of University of Dhaka. She emphasized that migration is not limited to Dhaka and called for timely, regionally balanced policy interventions.
