The newly elected leadership says it will push for implementation of government climate commitments, advocate for policy reforms and strengthen youth engagement and grassroots climate rights initiatives across Bangladesh.
A new national executive committee has been formed for the Climate Action Forum, a citizen platform working on environmental protection and climate change challenges in Bangladesh’s coastal regions.
According to a press release issued on Friday, Aminur Rasul was elected president and Sakila Parvin vice president at a general meeting attended by central and district representatives.
The 17-member national committee was formed during the meeting, held at the Leaders office on Humayun Road in the capital Dhaka under the chairmanship of the previous committee’s convener, Aminur Rasul. A seven-member executive committee was also elected.
In addition to the president and vice president, the executive committee includes Mohan Kumar Mondal as general secretary with secretarial responsibilities, Raihan Ferdous as media and communications secretary, Shruti Rani Dey as youth representative and Professor Mir Mohammad Ali and Khadija Khanam as executive members.
The advisory committee comprises former Dhaka Reporters Unity president Rafiqul Islam Azad, Sundarbans and Coastal Protection Movement coordinator Nikhil Chandra Bhadra and development worker Syeda Shamima Sultana.
Newly elected president Md. Aminur Rasul said Bangladesh faces severe risks from climate change, with the country’s coastal regions experiencing particularly acute threats.
“The current government has electoral commitments to take effective measures to address these risks. We want those commitments to be implemented,” he said.
He said the new committee would work to advocate at the policy-making level for the implementation of those commitments while protecting the rights of people at the grassroots and promoting sustainable climate policies. It would also undertake programmes to establish climate rights and raise environmental awareness among young people. He also called on everyone to come forward to address the ongoing flood situation.
The meeting’s keynote presentation was delivered by Sakil Ahmed, advocacy officer at Leaders.
He said coastal areas are currently facing multiple climate change-related crises, with cyclones, storm surges, river erosion, rising salinity and shortages of safe drinking water having severe impacts on people’s livelihoods, health and the economy.
To address those challenges, he presented 21 recommendations, including the establishment of a Coastal Development Board, declaring coastal areas as climate and disaster-prone zones, constructing sustainable embankments, ensuring safe drinking water, expanding social safety net programmes, developing climate-resilient agriculture, conserving the Sundarbans, protecting fishing communities and promoting environmentally friendly development.
