Special policy options sought

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at a seminar Saturday demanded special policy options to ensure relocation and rehabilitation of climate-induced migrants in the country.
The demand was made at the seminar on 'Rights of Climate Migrants: Policy Options at National and International Level' held at the National Press Club in the city.
Ten CSOs including the CSRL, Oxfam, Equity BD, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), Participatory Research and Development Initiative (PRDI), Bangladesh Indigenous People Network for Climate Change and Bio Diversity (BIPNetCCBD) jointly organised the seminar.
Climate specialist Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed said that climate-induced displacement had been recognised and proposed to work in 'the Cancun Adaptation Framework', but Bangladesh failed to take any advantage of it yet.
"We have adopted 'the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategic Action Plan', but there are gaps in initiating specific adoptation plans related to climate-induced displacement at the national level," he said.
Director of EquityBD Sayed Aminul Haque presented the keynote which mentioned that Bangladesh had been experiencing climate-induced mass displacements for decades.
It predicted that due to sea level rise, 17.5 per cent land would be inundated and about 31.5 million people would be displaced.
It also predicted that, due to river bank erosion, the displacement rate would increase to 12.37 per cent from 9.35 per cent at present.
The seasonal or temporary migration of the population will increase by 20 per cent in 2050 from 10 per cent now.
The paper recommended an internal displacement policy in this regard which could help Bangladesh pursue relocation and rehabilitation policy measures at national and international levels.
Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), while presiding over the programme said Bangladesh climate negotiation team had to be prepared from now so that they could influence the Warsaw International Framework on Loss and Damage.
It would be finalised in UNFCCC Conference of Parties to be held in Paris in 2015, he said.
Executive director of Equity BD Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Regional Policy Coordinator of Oxfam  Ziaul Haque Mukta and joint secretary of Jatiyo Krishak Jote Anowar Islam Babu among others also spoke on the occasion.
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