Civil society organizations on Saturday called for a clear roadmap to protect human rights from the growing impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, stressing the need for stronger institutional coordination, systematic monitoring and evidence-based policy action.
The call was made at a national advocacy seminar titled “Stock-Take Exercise on the Implementation of UPR-4 Recommendations for Safeguarding Against Climate-Induced Human Rights Violations in Bangladesh” held at the BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka.
The Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), Action Against Hunger (ACF) and the Climate Justice Alliance-Bangladesh jointly organized the event, which brought together policymakers, human rights defenders, climate experts, academics, researchers and civil society representatives.
The seminar reviewed Bangladesh's progress in implementing climate-related recommendations accepted by the government under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and identified gaps that need to be addressed.
Participants also established a civil society platform and developed an action plan focusing on evidence generation, monitoring and advocacy to strengthen safeguards against climate-induced human rights violations.
12 recommendations accepted
In his opening remarks, CPRD Chief Executive and National Coordinator of the Climate Justice Alliance-Bangladesh Md Shamsuddoha said Bangladesh had supported two climate-related recommendations during the third UPR cycle in 2018 aimed at addressing and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Building on those commitments, a coalition of 15 civil society organizations led by CPRD made a joint submission during the fourth UPR cycle in 2023.
The submission documented evidence of climate-induced human rights violations and proposed strategic actions across seven thematic areas.
The government subsequently accepted 12 recommendations for implementation during 2024-2027.
“We have the responsibility to follow up on how far these pledges have been translated into policies, programs, and actions, and to identify the pathways to address the gaps,” Shamsuddoha said.
Climate change worsening rights violations
Dr Nurun Nahar, additional secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said climate change was increasingly contributing to human rights violations in Bangladesh, with climate-vulnerable and frontline communities bearing the greatest burden.
She said international climate negotiations had yet to adequately institutionalize mechanisms to address climate-induced human rights violations.
“This remains a major concern for us,” she said.
The keynote presentation, delivered by Sheikh Nur Ataya Rabbi, program manager-research and advocacy at CPRD, presented evidence of climate change-induced human rights violations documented since the third UPR cycle.
It also outlined civil society recommendations submitted during the fourth UPR cycle and assessed their implementation progress.
Call for stronger institutions and monitoring
Former additional secretary of the Department of Environment and former deputy managing director of PKSF Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadek Ahmed stressed the need for stronger institutional coordination, systematic monitoring and evidence generation.
He also called for sustained policy advocacy to ensure that commitments made under the UPR process are translated into effective measures on the ground.
Shaheen Anam, MBE, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, appreciated CPRD and its partners for leading the initiative and urged continued efforts to protect climate-vulnerable and frontline communities.
She emphasized stronger collaboration among human rights defenders, climate experts, academics and civil society organizations.
Former additional director general of the Department of Environment Md Ziaul Haque said the government was concerned about climate-induced violations but needed to significantly strengthen institutional capacity to ensure adequate safeguards.
He also called for greater support from the international community and civil society organizations.