Fishermen and coastal communities are most vulnerable and affected by the global climate crisis. Due to the lack of sustainable initiatives, they are being deprived of their basic human rights, including access to food, nutrition, education, health, water, housing, and cultural rights.

Recognizing this crisis, the meaningful participation of small-scale fishers and coastal communities must be ensured at all levels of climate policy negotiations, decision-making, and implementation.

Protection and human rights issues must be prioritized, adequate and timely compensation must be ensured to uphold lives, livelihoods, and human rights.

Experts raised these demands at the seminar titled "Road to Belém [COP-30]; Climate Crisis - Fishermen's Struggle and Civil Society Perspectives" organized by the COAST Foundation, World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and FIAN International at the CIRDAP Auditorium on Topkhana Road in Dhaka on October 28, 2025.

The seminar was moderated by COAST Foundations Executive Director, M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.

Former Secretary and ED of Nature Conservation Management [NACOM], Dr. SM Manjurul Hannan Khan, Former Secretary and DD of Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT), Abi Abdullah, Director, Department of Environment, Md. Ziaul Haque, CEO of Water Keepers Bangladesh, Sharif Jamil, Board member of Bangladesh Water Development Board, Md. Aminur Rasul Babul, Project Director of the Fisheries Department Md. Samsuddin, Assistant Prof., Shere-Bangla Agriculture University, Mir Mohammad Ali, President, Bangladesh Climate Change Journalists Forum (BCJF), Kausar Rahman, Journalist, Md. Salauddin Bablu, Md. Motahar Hossain, fisherman representatives from Bhola, Ashraf Mazi & Babula Mazi and many others spoke. COAST Foundations M. A. Hasan presented the keynote.

In his keynote presentation, M. A. Hassan shared various observations & recommendations based on case studies titled "Rising Tides, Shrinking Coasts, and Sinking Rights: Climate Crisis and Struggles of Fishermen."

He stated climate impacts are threatening many of the human rights of fishermen communities. So, their human rights issues must be a priority at the center of climate negotiations.

M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said that fishermen’s role in restoring, conserving, protecting and collectively managing local aquatic and ecosystems must be recognized.

"Our demands are not only about protecting ecosystems, but also about human rights, food sovereignty, and the survival of fisherfolk and coastal communities in the face of the climate crisis now and in the future", he added.

He also said CSOs & government must take a strong stance to prioritize the human rights of fishermen, indigenous & coastal communities at the center of Belem (CoP-30) climate negotiations.

SM Manjurul Hannan Khan said that before preparing the national position paper for the Belem Climate Conference, the government should have consulted with climate-vulnerable people to address their requirements. Climate discussion should start from the grassroots to the international level. If the opinion of the affected people is not included, this discussion is meaningless.

Abi Abdullah emphasizes the importance of ensuring the meaningful participation of fishermen in climate local, global, and international negotiations, policy formulation, and the implementation process, especially for women.

Ziaul Haque said, its true that the fishermen's crisis, including human rights priority, has not been given special importance in our National Adaptation Plan [NAP]. However, the issues will be seriously considered during the NAP review in 2027. We need to raise our voices together on the Global Goal on Adaptation's indicators, so that the interests of these affected communities prevail there.

Md. Shamsuddin said, open water bodies are shrinking due to unplanned infrastructural development, resulting in the extinction of native fish species.

Sharif Jamil said, proper water management is not possible without resolving the transboundary river management. There is no mention of these issues in the Delta plan-2100, so this plan must be amended as soon as possible.

Mr. Ashraf Maji, said that due to lack of cold storage, transportation, and direct access to the market, we fishermen are forced to sell our fish to local middlemen, due to which we are deprived of fair price. The government should take the initiative in this regard.