Govt to adopt national strategy on management of disaster and climate induced internal displacement
The disaster management ministry initiated the development of the strategy in September 2015. The government has decided to update and revise the strategy because several major developments have taken place at the global level since the draft strategy was prepared
The government will adopt an updated national strategy to manage disaster and climate induced internal displacement. The strategy outlines the actions for creating the necessary policy framework and pathways to meet the commitment to the UN's Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD).
Dr Enamur Rahman, state minister for Disaster Management and Relief made this remark while addressing a workshop at the Brac Centre Inn in the capital today. Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU), Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS), International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER) and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) jointly organised the programme, says a press release.
The disaster management ministry initiated the development of the strategy in September 2015. The government has decided to update and revise the strategy because several major developments have taken place at the global level since the draft strategy was prepared.
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Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), chaired the event while Md Shah Kamal, senior secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and Judith Herbertson, country representative, Department for International Development, Bangladesh attended the workshop as special guests.
"We believe that the national strategy once adopted will help us prepare, plan and respond to short term and longer term needs of displacement", said Dr Enamur Rahman.
During the workshop, the findings of a recently conducted Regional Thematic Study on Displacement in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific was also presented.
Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, founder chair of RMMRU, urged the government to adopt the national strategy through inter-ministerial action.
She also mentioned that the national strategy is a rights-based document which will help the government attain various SDG goals.
Dr Ainun Nishat, adviser, C3ER of Brac University, Dr Atiq Rahman of BCAS, among others, spoke at the programme.
Forced displacement driven by disasters and climate change poses a potential threat to national security and stability. In 2018, more than 17 million people worldwide were displaced by the sudden onset of disasters linked to cyclones, storms, floods, and other natural hazards. Bangladesh is the top-ranking country in the world to face the adverse consequences of climate change that will lead to millions of people being internally displaced, said the release.
