Bangladesh’s interim government is taking urgent steps to strengthen environmental justice, climate governance and community rights, a senior adviser said Wednesday, as the country pushes ahead with reforms following months of political upheaval.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, told an international conference in Savar that her guiding mission remains unchanged: protecting communities from corporate abuse, safeguarding natural ecosystems, and ensuring development “becomes ecocentric rather than destructive.”
Speaking virtually as chief guest at the International Conference on Environmental Justice at BRAC CDM, Hasan said the interim government is prioritising three tasks, preparing the ground for a free and fair election, reforming major governance institutions, and securing justice for those killed in the student-led uprising that toppled the previous regime.
Hasan outlined a series of environmental actions underway, including enforcement of the long-ignored 22-year ban on single-use polythene bags and the gradual expansion of plastic-free zones. River and forest restoration efforts have been intensified, alongside stronger wildlife protection and tighter environmental compliance across industries.
She said ethnic minority communities in forest areas would have expanded rights under the recently approved Forest Policy, which mandates free, prior and informed consent for forest-dependent groups, a shift she described as key to securing environmental and climate justice.
Citing the fragile condition of St. Martin’s Island, Hasan said stricter controls on tourism were being introduced to revive its degraded coral ecosystem. She added that enforcement drives to curb hazardous air pollution had begun, though “results will take time.”
Hasan pointed to this year’s devastating floods in Feni as a reminder of the country’s growing exposure to climate impacts, from river erosion and salinity intrusion to unpredictable cross-border water flows. Climate justice, she said, remained “central” to her work in both ministries.
She highlighted the newly created Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership as a mechanism to ensure transparent and equitable climate finance for vulnerable communities.
Calling for a reorientation of national priorities, Hasan urged reduced reliance on large infrastructure projects and greater investment in climate-affected populations. She said the government had instructed all ministries to install functional rooftop solar systems as part of a renewed push for renewable energy.
The adviser also stressed an ongoing crackdown on single-use plastics across all ministries. “Environmental justice is value-based,” she said. “If we truly value our people and our planet, our actions must reflect it.”
Hasan said she hoped the next elected government would continue and strengthen these reforms.
The event was also addressed by Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed; UNDP Bangladesh’s Assistant Resident Representative Sardar M. Asaduzzaman; Sweden’s Deputy Head of Cooperation Nayoka Martinez Backström; Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Chairman Mirza Quamrul Hasan; and BELA’s Acting CEO Taslima Islam.
