Bangladesh puts youth at the heart of loss and damage push at COP30

Bangladesh placed young people at the heart of the global Loss and Damage agenda at COP30, highlighting their frontline experience and policy demands during a high-level side event on Friday at the Bangladesh Pavilion.

The session, “From Local to Global: Youth Inclusion in the Loss and Damage Framework,” was organised by YOUNGO’s Loss and Damage Working Group along with strategic partner was Young Climate Action Network (YOUCAN). Youth delegates from Bangladesh and other climate-vulnerable nations outlined widening losses, policy gaps and the need for stronger global support as climate impacts intensify.

Speaking as chief guest, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said any Loss and Damage framework would fail unless it centred the communities hit first and hardest. “People on the frontlines must be central to every intervention,” she said.

Mirza Shawkat Ali, a director at the Department of Environment, said Bangladesh was preparing its own national Loss and Damage framework aligned with emerging global mechanisms. “Youth will be effectively integrated into this structure,” he said during his keynote.

Jasmima Sabatina, YOUNGO contact point and panel moderator, warned that without a fast, fair and inclusive Loss and Damage Fund, international commitments risk remaining “only on paper.”

The pavilion event drew energetic youth participation, with speakers sharing experiences from coastal belts, erosion-prone riverbanks and disaster-affected regions. They called for simplified access to funds, transparent monitoring systems, anticipatory finance, micro-grants, permanent youth representation in fund governance and integrated data platforms. “This is not negotiation this is survival,” several participants said.

YouthNet Global’s Executive Coordinator Sohanur Rahman stressed transparency. “Without accountability, no fund will reach the people whose lives have already been shattered,” he said. Nepali delegate Prayash Adhikari added, “Outside negotiation rooms, youth are leading resilience efforts. Climate justice is a lived struggle.”

Climate policy expert Harjeet Singh called youth engagement “timely and transformative,” noting that young movements were now applying some of the strongest pressure for climate finance. “This is the moment to build public support, generate evidence and mobilise all stakeholders,” he said.

The Loss and Damage Fund has opened its first call for project proposals with an initial pool of USD 250 million. But experts questioned both the adequacy and accessibility of the fund, describing it as symbolic against the hundreds of billions needed annually by vulnerable countries. Although total pledges reached roughly USD 700 million in 2023–24, only around USD 397 million is currently held by the fund.

Bangladeshi experts urged rapid capacity-building within the six-month application window and called for coordination among government agencies, research institutions, civil society and development partners to craft competitive proposals. Singh noted that even as COP30 continued, countries such as Jamaica and the Philippines were being hit by climate emergencies: “They need the money now.”

Brazil, the host country, has described the Loss and Damage Fund as one of the fastest-operationalised global funds ever created, arguing that it represents not only financial support but also political recognition of climate justice. Initial disbursements may begin by July next year, though experts warned that complex administrative requirements could pose hurdles for Small Island Developing States and low-income nations.

Representing the Least Developed Countries, Farida Akhter said the crisis demanded urgent, justice-driven action. “Our people’s homes, lives and futures are being altered every day by the climate crisis,” she said. “For us, climate finance is not a bargaining chip  it is a matter of survival, justice and dignity. We are here not to restate our suffering, but to pursue solutions equal to the scale of our loss.”