DESM and ICCCAD hold Policy Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation at Khulna City

On November 7, 2024, the Department of Environmental Science and Management, IUB and the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) arranged a policy dialogue at the Hotel Castle Salam of Khulna City under the COLOCAL project. The event primarily focused on showcasing the research work of two COLOCAL fellows of the Climate Change and Development MSc. program; Shahadat Hossain (Batch 2021) and Ishrat Jahan (Batch 2022). The policy implications of their studies were put forward, which fueled a fruitful discussion amongst the stakeholders present.

The studies being based in Khulna and the Tala upazila of Satkhira respectively, the participants mostly consisted of local level actors from the government and non-government organisations in these areas. This included officers from the government departments of environment, agriculture, social services, women affairs, youth development, the water development board, etc. Representatives from long standing NGOs like Rupantar, DALIT, Parittran, CARITAS were also present, alongside active members from the Dalit and the indigenous Munda communities.

The event began with a welcoming speech by the COLOCAL Project Officer, Fahmid Mohtasin, and opening remarks from the Project Coordinator and Associate Professor, Dr. K. Ayaz Rabbani. Rafia Anjum Rimi, a COLOCAL fellow of 2024, then took the stage to provide a brief on the current policy landscape regarding climate change adaptation. The programme then moved on to the main event with Shahadat Hossain and Ishrat Jahan presenting their works with feedback sessions in between where the local stakeholders discussed a number of relevant social and environmental issues plaguing their region, including fresh water shortages, exclusionary practices, child marriage, plastic pollution, etc.

The executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Khulna then showcased the vulnerabilities of the polder communities in Khulna, followed by Swapan Kumar Das, executive director of DALIT, taking a session on the vulnerabilities of the Dalit communities. The event soon ended with closing remarks from Swapan Kumar Guha, the executive director of Rupantar and an open discussion amongst all the participants.

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