Experts urge pro-poor, gender-responsive climate fund led by govt: Global polluters must pay

Stakeholders from across the Southwestern coastal belt of Bangladesh have called for a pro-poor, gender-responsive, and human rights-based climate and disaster risk financing and insurance (CDRFI) mechanism. The call came during a sub-national roundtable on 'Prospects of Pro-poor, Gender-responsive and Human Rights-based CDRFI Mechanism in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh', jointly hosted by CARE Bangladesh and An Organisation For Socio-Economic Development (AOSED) under the Multi Actor Partnerships on Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance (MAP CDRFI) Project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany) - BMZ.

Held at hotel Western Inn in Khulna on April 24, 2025 the roundtable brought together government representatives, researchers, , academicians, journalists, and NGO professionals. It was preceded by over 65 community-level consultations and workshops across unions, upazilas, districts and division-culminating in one unified demand: climate finance for the poor must be just, accessible, and funded by those responsible for the climate crisis.

Global Polluters Must Pay

Speakers urged that financial mechanisms for climate resilience in coastal Bangladesh must be primarily funded by major Green House Gas (GHG) emitters and polluting nations, through compensation and grants in premiums in terms of insurance for the vulnerable population. Participants highly demanded not to impose any additional insurance premium or loan burden on people who already struggling to tackle climate-induced loss and damages and extreme poverty.

"No climate-affected person should bear the burden of premiums," said Prof Dr Tushar Kanti Ray, URP Discipline, KUET. "Insurance mechanisms must be government-led, with compensation funds received from developed nations footing the bill."

Study Finds Lack Of Capacity, Trust in Current Local climate financing Mechanisms

Study conducted by aosed and care bangladesh under the map cdrfi initiative, presented by Moumita Das Gupta of the Centre For Climate Justice-Bangladesh(CCJ-B), revealed that local government institutions such as union parishads lack financial autonomy, skilled manpower, and infrastructure to handle disaster-risk financing.

"Our communities support grants over insurance due to trust issues," Gupta said.

"There's a deep gap in public awareness and institutional readiness."

Insights from 65 grassroots consultations reveal strong support for:

• Government-managed climate insurance using compensation from wealthy polluter nations.

• Integration of disaster and climate change education into school curriculums.

• Annual lists of climate-vulnerable people maintained by NGOs and shared with policymakers.

• Women's inclusion in all local-level climate committees.

• Short-term rehabilitation programmes and long-term risk mitigation and others