Local Voices Essential for Effective Climate Adaptation: Rizwana

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has stressed the importance of incorporating local perspectives in climate adaptation strategies. She emphasized the need to prioritize water resource management, disaster preparedness, and the conservation of forests and wildlife while implementing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

Rizwana highlighted that the NAP should transcend being a mere technical document and must reflect the concerns and insights of local communities. She made these remarks during a meeting at the Water Development Board building in Dhaka on Sunday. The session, focused on the Locally Led Adaptation Framework (LLAF) and NAP implementation strategies, was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Environment, CEGIS, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Rizwana pointed out that Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) offers an effective approach to addressing climate change impacts, stressing that understanding local needs and capacities is crucial for sustainable adaptation.

The meeting participants underscored the importance of creating a coordinated and inclusive action plan for the successful implementation of LLAF and NAP. They also expressed their commitment to future collaboration.

Key attendees included Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, Additional Secretary (Climate Change) at the Ministry of Environment, Malik Fida A. Khan, Executive Director of CEGIS, Dharitri Kumar Sarkar, Joint Secretary at the Ministry, Roslina Parvin, Senior Assistant Secretary, and Mousumi Parvin, Senior Climate Change Officer at ADB.