Displacement Solutions and our partners Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) have been working since 2011 to find innovative rights-based solutions to climate displacement in Bangladesh. We are hoping that the second half of 2014 will bring the best results thus far!
Some of the recent highlights of the Bangladesh HLP Initiative include:
Land Solutions to Climate Displacement in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh HLP Initiative is now focusing on the role of land in providing domestic solutions to climate displacement in Bangladesh. In 2014, DS and YPSA will provide ground-breaking support to vulnerable climate displaced families to access to new homes and new lands to homes and lands lost to climate hazards in Bangladesh.
New Action Research on Climate Displacement in Bangladesh
DS has recently finalised and will soon publish four innovative reports designed to playa key role in supporting the provision of rights-based solutions to climate displacement in Bangladesh, including:
1. Climate Displacement in Bangladesh: Stakeholders, Laws and Policies – Mapping the Existing Institutional Framework (182p)
2. Land Availability for Climate Displaced Communities in Bangladesh
3. Land Acquisition for Climate Displaced Communities in Bangladesh
4. The Viability of a Chittagong Hill Tracts as a Destination for Climate Displaced Communities
The latter three reports have appeared as chapters in DS Director Scott Leckie’s most recent book, Land Solutions for Climate Displacement, published in May 2014 by Routledge.
These reports will be made available on the DS website as soon as they are published.
DS Mission to Bangladesh – May 2014
In May 2014, DS representative Ezekiel Simperingham visited Bangladesh for the sixth time to raise awareness of the situation of climate displacement in Bangladesh, the rights of climate displaced persons and the work and plans of the Bangladesh HLP Initiative. During this mission, DS met with representatives from UNDP, UNHCR, the Embassy of Sweden, the Embassy of Germany, Oxfam, GiZ, PKSF, AFD, IFAD, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Delegation of the EU to Bangladesh.
Round Table Discussion on The HLP Rights of Climate Displaced Persons in Bangladesh
In early 2014, YPSA hosted a round table discussion on the HLP rights of climate displaced persons in Bangladesh. Dr Hasan Mahmud, the former Minister of Environment and Forest was present as a Chief Guest and Md. Jafar Alam, Director of Department of Environment, Chittagong moderated the round table discussion.
Development and Distribution of the “5 Point Advocacy Action Plan”
This unique document identifies 5 key actions that should be undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh to provide rights-based durable solutions to climate displacement. All of these actions can, and should, be supported by the regional and international communities, as well as local and international civil society and NGOs working in Bangladesh. Over 1,000 copies of this Action Plan have already been distributed to key stakeholders across Bangladesh.
Advocacy and Capacity Building on the Rights of Climate Displaced Persons in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh HLP Initiative continues to undertake advocacy, awareness raising and capacity building on the rights of climate displaced communities in Bangladesh.
Government Officials and Representatives – Over the past 6 months, the Bangladesh HLP Initiative has coordinated and hosted a number of stakeholder meetings on climate displacement with local and senior Government officials and representatives in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sitakund, Mirsharai, Banskhali, Sandwip, Brahmanbaria, Comilla and Cox’s Bazar.
Media and Journalists – In February 2014, the Bangladesh HLP Initiative conducted training and awareness raising on the rights of climate displaced persons with journalists from the Daily Suprobhat Bangladesh, Daily ProthomAlo, Daily Independent, Daily Amader Samay, NTV, Bangladesh Pratidin, Daily Purbakan, Daily Sun, bdnews24.com, Machranga TV, DeshTV and the Daily Azadit.
Bangladesh Political Parties – DS and YPSA have conducted advocacy meetings with senior representatives from the the Awami League, the Jatiya Party and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Lawyer’s Associations – DS and YPSA facilitated the creation of the “Climate Displacement Forum” of the Chittagong Bar Association. This informal network of local lawyers in Bangladesh intends to undertake lobbying on effective legislative and policy change as well as public interest litigation under the Constitution of Bangladesh on the rights of climate displaced persons.