Call for taking integrated initiatives locally to strengthen local climate displacement management and rehabilitation processes

To strengthen the sustainable rehabilitation process for local displaced families, integrated initiative should be taken with the coordination between government and non-government department/agencies to ensure basic needs along with infrastructure development.

Emphasis should be placed on, to address real climate displaced persons, sub-district based database should be developed, and the capacity of disaster management committees must be increased.

Initiatives must be taken to create employment locally and create alternative income opportunities, and sustainable coastal embankments must be constructed to reduce the future displacement risk.

Speakers raised several demands at a seminar titled "Strengthening Integrated Local Climate Displacement Management and Rehabilitation Process" organized by the COAST Foundation on December 29, 2024, at the conference room of the Galachipa Sub-District Administration in Patuakhali District.

Mr. Md. Nasim Reza, Assistant Commissioner [Land] of Galachipa Upazila was chef guest, Mr. M.M. Asaduzzaman Arif, Sub assistant Engineer of the sub-district level Disaster Management Department, Mr. Md. Hafiz Ullah, President of Galachipa Press Club, along with representatives of civil society, NGO representatives, journalists, and displaced people participated and expressed their views.

This seminar, moderated by M.A. Hasan, Head-Climate Change of COAST Foundation. 

In his keynote presentation, M.A. Hasan of COAST Foundation recommended emphasizing on local vulnerability risk assessment and identification of displaced persons.

He also said that local monitoring should be increased by engaging community people to improve the quality of ongoing rehabilitation projects.

He urges government to increase priority based investment to mitigate future displacement risk, adopting regional based climate risk management strategy and aligning these plan with the national plan, and priority based allocation should be ensure from government own yearly budget through local government institutions including Union Parishad for implementation of the government's adopted National Strategy on The Management of Disaster And Climate Induced Internal Displacement [NSMDCIID]

In his speech as the chief guest, Mr. Md. Nasim Reza said, our responsibility is not only to implement relief activities during disasters, but also to identify the real climate displaced people. Therefore, firstly we need to develop a database of real displaced persons based on sub-district level, and the Disaster Management Department has many responsibilities in this regard. Emphasis should be placed on adequate research and necessary information/data on the impacts of climate change and displacement at the local level.

Mr. M.M. Asaduzzaman Arif said, the number of displacements due to river/sea erosion is increasing alarmingly due to the lack of sustainable embankments.

The people who are living around the embankments are extremely vulnerable conditions and they can be displaced at any moment. So the sustainable embankments is of utmost importance, he added.

Mr. Md. Hafiz Ullah said, the government has many plans that now need to be implemented. Just adopting plan is not enough, if we do not take initiative to implement these plan properly, will it be of any benefit to the climate vulnerable community?