Experts at a seminar held in the city Saturday demanded a climate-friendly national budget for the upcoming financial year 2014-15.
The seminar titled "Is Bangladesh Ready to Face Climate Problem in Future? / National Budget 2014-15, Climate Resilience and Adaptation" was organised by the Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD) at the National Press Club.
Participants at the seminar expressed worries over the mismanagement of two climate funds released by the government.
They demanded inter-ministerial coordination and integration for climate adaptation plans to be incorporated in the National Budget for the next financial year.
EquityBD executive director Rezaul Karim Chowdhury moderated the seminar where state minister for the finance MA Mannan was present as the chief guest.
Former law maker Sohrab Ali Sana, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon chairman Dr Abdul Matin, Bangladesh Environmental Journalists' Forum president Qamrul Islam Chowdhury, chief executive of Unnayan Dhara Aminur Rasul, executive director of Online Knowledge Centre Prodip K Roy, among others, spoke.
EquityBD director Syed Aminul Haque presented the keynote paper.
The paper said that Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic Action Plan or BCCSAP has not been incorporated in the Sixth Five Year Plan (6FYP).
UNDP's CPER (Climate Change Public Expenditure Review) 2012 showed that only 3.8 per cent of the budget allocation has effective correlation with climate change.
The paper put forward a five point proposal one of which was to review BCCSAP and 6FYP for formulating a common integrated national plan.
The paper also proposed that trust and resilience funds should be brought under a common management and all ministries must prepare climate change planning within their midterm framework.
Protecting coastal land should be prioritised in all planning and all the big cities and towns must be prepared to accommodate future climate migrants, the paper proposed.
State Minister MA Mannan said coordination is a genuine problem in Bangladesh when the country has a lot of urgencies in respect of poverty alleviation.
He stressed that there must be a unity in this regard and politicians must come out of confrontational politics.
Aminul Rasul raised question on both trust and resilience fund management under the government.
He demanded publishing white paper on this two climate fund management.
Prodip K Roy said these two funds should be brought under one single management.
Sayed Jahangir Hossain Masum suggested an urgent planning to maintain and repair all the cyclone shelters in the coastal regions.
Dr Abdul Matin criticised different government policies which are hardly consistent with climate change.
Qamrul Islam Chowdhury said that Bangladesh will have to increase its capacity and prepare itself technically to have access to Green Climate Fund (GCF).
