Nirmol Bangladesh Hosted Session on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience at ECC’25

On 21 November 2025, Nirmol Bangladesh successfully organized a side event titled “Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building: Knowledge Sharing for Local Action” at the Environment & Changing Climate 2025 conference held at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). The session has facilitated the exchange of research findings and practical experiences among different researchers and institutions working on climate change, ocean literacy, environmental conservation, disaster risk reduction, and community resilience building at the ground level.

The Session Chair was Dr. S. M. Mustafizur Rahman, (Assistant Professor, Dept of OCN, BMU). And, Dr. K. Ayaz Rabbani (Associate Professor, Dept of ESM, IUB) was also present as the inaugural guest. Two representatives of the fishermen community of Cox’s Bazar, respectively Humayun Kabir & Ziaul Karim were also present at the session & they have highlighted a gross figure of the various environmental issues the fishermen are facing in the Bay of Bengal during fishing. Additionally, the session room was full of enthusiastic youth & changemakers from diversified universities.

The program featured diverse presentations addressing environmental conservation, ocean literacy, and climate adaptation. Sheikh Fahim Faysal Sowrav introduced the “GEM in a Box” initiative, highlighting collaborative monitoring of eutrophication threats in the Sundarbans’ estuarine ecosystems. Md. Alamgir Hossain discussed strategies to enhance ocean literacy among coastal farmers, fishermen, and women, linking knowledge dissemination to resilience and sustainable blue economy development. Fabia Kobir Toha presented research findings from Cox’s Bazar, focusing on economic vulnerability, fishery decline, and the social hazards faced by coastal populations. Md. Habibur Rahman and Kashafad Bin Hafiz outlined blue economy programs, disaster preparedness training, and upcoming research fellowship opportunities.

A particularly powerful segment of the session was the direct engagement of two fishermen representatives from Cox’s Bazar—Humayun Kabir and Ziaul Karim. They shared firsthand experiences of environmental degradation in the Bay of Bengal, including unpredictable weather patterns, declining fish stocks, rising operational costs, and increasing safety risks during fishing expeditions.

The session effectively bridged global climate strategies with local realities, culminating in actionable insights focused on youth engagement, equitable knowledge sharing, and sustainable community empowerment.