At Bangladesh’s first National Coastal Conference, stakeholders drafted a 27-point declaration urging rights-based, integrated policies to protect 43.5 million coastal residents from climate risks, inequality and unplanned development.
Bangladesh’s coastline was framed as a strategic national zone at the country’s first National Coastal Conference 2025 held in Dhaka on December 13 and 14 last year, as participants proposed a shared roadmap titled the National Coastal Declaration 2025 including a 27-point agenda for a fair, resilient and sustainable future.
The two-day conference brought together coastal-related policymakers and a wide cross-section of society including government officials, teachers, researchers, journalists, civil society representatives, youth, Indigenous communities, fishers, farmers, workers, women and development organisations.
The event was organised by the non-governmental development organisation Participatory Research and Action Network (PRAN). Co-organisers were ActionAid Bangladesh, Oxfam in Bangladesh, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), NGO Forum on ADB, World Resources Institute (WRI), Kormojibi Nari, Kendriya Krishok Moitri, COAST Foundation, Coastal Development Partnership (CDP), Coastal Livelihood and Environment Action Network (CLEAN), Climate Action at Local Level (CALL), Christian Aid Bangladesh, Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), Gandhi Ashram Trust, Jago Nari, Disaster Forum, Noakhali Rural Development Society (NRDS), Prantojon Trust, Fair Finance Bangladesh, Bangladesh Food Security Network (Khani), Bread for the World, Rupantar, Local Environment Development and Agriculture Research Society (LEADERS), Shariatpur Development Society (SDS), Center for Environment and Participatory Research (CEPR) and Helvetas Bangladesh.
Held through six parallel sessions and two plenary sessions, the conference described Bangladesh’s coastal belt as spanning 19 districts and forming the life and livelihood base of about 43.5 million people. Speakers said the coast sits at the centre of the national development framework through its roles in food production, agriculture and fisheries economy, water transport and inland waterways, port-based trade, energy supply, coastal infrastructure, migrant labour, industry and tourism and climate adaptation capacity. Despite that contribution, they said rights, security and living standards for coastal people have not been ensured in proportion to the coast’s role in the national economy.
Participants warned that the direct and multi-dimensional impacts of climate change are being sharply reflected in coastal Bangladesh. They cited cyclones, storm surges, river erosion, coastal erosion, the spread of salinity, shortages of safe drinking water, shrinking farmland, risks to fisheries resources and livelihood crises as factors deepening poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, public health emergencies, displacement and climate-induced migration. They said women, children, older people, people with disabilities, Indigenous communities and poor groups are affected disproportionately, pushing questions of human security, social justice and constitutional rights to the forefront as a fundamental political issue.
Speakers also pointed to unplanned infrastructure construction, sector-based and fragmented development initiatives, weak governance structures, gaps in transparency and accountability and investments made while ignoring environmental carrying capacity. They said these trends are damaging the coast’s natural ecosystems while creating excessive pressure on forests, rivers, canals, wetlands, chars and marine resources. As a result, they said, people’s rights to land and resources, livelihoods, environmental balance and social stability are steadily weakening, and the reality of rising vulnerability, risk and inequality in the name of development signals the need for structural change in state planning and policy decisions.
Against that backdrop, organisers said the National Coastal Conference served as an inclusive, multi-stakeholder and policy-oriented platform. Discussions reviewed coastal planning and institutional frameworks, conservation of natural resources and the environment, inclusive and meaningful participation, agriculture and food security, public health, employment and livelihoods, just transition and energy, disaster management and climate adaptation, social protection and financing, infrastructure development and water management in an integrated manner. Participants said interdependence across these sectors and policy inconsistencies were clearly identified.
They said documenting the direct experiences of coastal communities, local adaptation initiatives and community-based solutions underlined the need for an evidence-based link between people’s real-world practices and state policy-making. That connection, they added, could serve as an effective reference framework for future law-making, national budget allocations, development planning and investment decisions.
On the basis of this understanding, the conference argued that a distinct, integrated and human rights-based policy framework for coastal Bangladesh is essential. From two days of discussion and joint analysis, the political and policy document was drafted on behalf of coastal people, culminating in the proposed National Coastal Declaration 2025.
The declaration’s 27 points include the following proposals:
It calls for treating the coast as an integrated social, economic and environmental system, recognising it as a complex and multi-dimensional reality in which social structures, economic activities and ecological systems are deeply interconnected. It warns that pressure on any one element such as land, forests, mangroves, estuaries, wetlands, beaches or marine ecosystems can break the balance of the entire coastal system and put lives and livelihoods at risk.
It urges evidence-based policymaking, arguing that data gaps and fragmented analysis in coastal policies, laws, investments and budget allocations have created long-term structural risks. It says local communities’ intergenerational knowledge, adaptation experience and Indigenous techniques are not adequately reflected in decision-making, proposing a framework for proof-based policy through regular surveys, studies and mapping that combine scientific data with local knowledge.
It proposes area-based planning, saying a fragmented project-by-project approach has failed to account for geographic differences and the diversity of ecosystems and risks along the coast, with realities varying across the southwest, mid-south and southeast. It calls for a long-term and integrated National Coastal Master Plan with region-based zoning that includes mangroves, estuaries and wetlands.
It calls for accountable financing, saying the funding problem is not only insufficient allocations but also weak structures for financing, disbursement, expenditure tracking and accountability. It criticises sector-based fragmented allocations and delayed fund releases for undermining the ability to manage coastal risks, proposing reforms including a separate coastal framework in the national budget, predictable releases, expenditure monitoring and accountable oversight.
It urges improved access to climate finance, noting that loss and damage is already real and ongoing in coastal Bangladesh but access remains limited in international climate finance structures. It says recognition of loss and non-economic loss has not translated into guaranteed funding, proposing a policy position to secure direct access for the coast to the international Loss and Damage Fund, the Green Climate Fund and other climate finance.
It calls for responsible investment, warning that industrial, tourism and infrastructure investment that exceeds environmental capacity can harm the economy, society and nature over the long term. It argues that short-term profit-driven investment multiplies future costs and risks and proposes adopting environmental, social and governance assessment as an ethical, scientific and economic standard for decision-making.
It proposes identifying “retreat zones” in the coast, citing sea-level rise and coastal erosion that make permanent infrastructure and industrial investment increasingly high-risk. Drawing on international experience, it says phased withdrawal of investment from high-risk areas can reduce future losses, proposing the designation of backward or retreat areas as a long-term risk management option.
It calls for sustainable tourism, warning that unplanned tourism in crisis-prone coastal areas is accelerating environmental degradation and placing extra pressure on local livelihoods. It proposes tourism control and an environmentally sound, community-centred tourism management system in sensitive ecosystems.
It urges far-sighted and risk-sensitive investment, saying economic zones, industrial hubs and large investments along the coast have lasting impacts on land use, livelihoods and the environment. It warns that ignoring local realities can intensify social conflict and proposes coastal investment planning that treats environmental sensitivity, social impacts and local livelihoods as preconditions.
It proposes participatory governance, saying weak coastal governance stems from lack of coordination, unclear responsibilities and limited participation. It calls for inter-ministerial coordination, institutional clarity and accountability while ensuring meaningful participation of women, youth and marginalised groups.
It calls for fair access to natural resources, saying unclear ownership, use rights and access to land and water in coastal areas increase inequality and conflict. Citing global experience, it argues that effective adaptation requires clear rights frameworks and proposes establishing transparent and equitable rights to land and natural resources.
It urges priority protection for women, saying coastal women are disproportionately affected by climate risks but their needs are not separately reflected in land rights, health, security and financing. It proposes incorporating women’s rights to land and resources, protection of health and security in climate risk and women-centred priorities in climate finance.
It calls for Indigenous rights, noting that Indigenous and ethnic minority communities in the coastal belt are historically marginalised and their customary land and resource rights are under growing pressure. It says principles of distinct identity, prior consent and approval remain unclear under international human rights standards and proposes including Indigenous and minority rights in coastal policy in line with international norms.
It proposes an integrated labour market framework, noting the coastal economy depends on agriculture and fisheries as well as shipping, ports, industry and migrant labour but labour rights have been considered in a fragmented way. It says links between the coast and maritime labour, port and industrial labour, informal labour and overseas labour are not clear and proposes treating the coastal labour market as a unified framework.
It proposes urban coastal planning, warning that coastal cities and towns are becoming focal points of climate risk, migration pressure and infrastructure vulnerability. It says urban coasts, municipal infrastructure, drainage systems and slums and informal settlements have not received a distinct policy approach and proposes treating the urban coast as a separate planning unit.
It calls for a quality and sustainable health system, warning that weak coastal health services multiply climate and disaster risks and that human development will be hindered without strong primary healthcare. It proposes strengthening a three-tier structure of health services at community clinics and union and upazila levels.
It proposes integrated disaster management, saying treating disaster management only as emergency response increases long-term loss. It calls for early warning, rehabilitation and data-driven monitoring while recognising loss and non-economic loss as part of a comprehensive approach.
It calls for a maritime perspective, warning that ocean and coastal-based economic growth will be at risk if environmental limits are exceeded. It says blue carbon conservation and ecosystem restoration can create new opportunities for climate finance and proposes an integrated national maritime outlook.
It proposes planned migration, describing climate migration as a human rights and development issue where unplanned relocation creates social crises. It proposes planned, voluntary and human rights-based relocation strategies as a policy option for adaptation.
It calls for a local research base, saying a lack of local research and community-based monitoring weakens policy implementation and that policy will not be effective in the long term without local data. It proposes placing local research institutions and monitoring systems at the centre of policy.
It calls for phased implementation, saying short, medium and long-term steps are essential to make a long-term vision effective. It warns that implementation is delayed without timelines and priorities and proposes drafting a roadmap for phased implementation.
It calls for legal coherence, warning that inconsistencies with existing laws, policies and plans weaken coastal governance and create conflicts in implementation. It proposes reviewing existing laws and policies, ensuring alignment and adopting necessary legal reforms where required.
It proposes a risk insurance framework, warning that coastal livelihoods face climate risk but financial protection systems are weak. It says the absence of agriculture, fisheries and disaster insurance and a public risk pool pushes affected groups into long-term cycles of poverty and proposes building an insurance and risk management policy framework for coastal risk management.
It calls for technology-driven management, saying the potential of technology and innovation has not been adequately applied to coastal management. It proposes adopting technology and innovation-based management including digital forecasting, remote sensing, decision-support systems and climate technology.
It proposes a polluter liability principle, arguing that justice for affected communities cannot be ensured without clear responsibility for environmental degradation and industrial pollution. It warns that exempting polluters weakens environmental protection and proposes adopting the polluter pays principle for environmental justice and pollution accountability.
It calls for parliamentary accountability, warning that if policy accountability is limited to the administrative level then political responsibility weakens. It proposes regular review and political-level oversight through parliamentary committees and systematic reporting.
It calls for a master plan and annual reporting, saying an integrated and long-term coastal regional master plan is essential considering the coast’s multi-dimensional geography, climate-related risks and socio-economic interdependence. It also proposes producing a regular “State of Bangladesh Coast” annual report to assess changing realities, development progress, emerging crises and policy effectiveness, saying such reporting can strengthen evidence-based analysis, accountability and policy coordination. It proposes adopting the master plan and annual reporting under an institutional framework as part of integrated coastal management.
