Experts call for efficiency and transparency in NAP formulation and implementation
NAP formulation process must consider the special risks faced by women, indigenous people, and backward communities: CPRD Chief Executive
Experts and stakeholders at a dialogue have observed that inefficiency and lack of transparency in formulating the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) can be the biggest challenge in implementing the plan.
They have called for incorporating region-specific realities and local adaptation practices to tackle climate change impacts, said a press statement.
As the chief guest, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), said, "Bangladesh needs to ensure sustainable development, and for ensuring sustainable development, there is no alternative to formulating and implementing a good NAP."
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"Our country fervently wants a participatory and precise NAP, and all the arrangements have made me optimistic that we are on the right track," he added.
National level stakeholders made the call and observations at a dialogue on the identification of the regional challenges to tackle the negative impacts of climate change, and inclusion thereof in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) held on Wednesday in the capital's at Brac Center, the press statement added.
Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD) with support from AOSED, Bread for the World, Centre for Capacity Building of Voluntary Organisation (CCBVO), Diakonia, and SDS organised the event.
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) Executive Director Dr Atik Rahman, as the special guest, said, "The NAP process is advancing slowly, and the process is likely to end by April 2022. The formulation and implementation of the NAP must take into consideration the region-specific realities."
"The governance is not merely perceived as reducing corruption; formulation of the right plan at the right time and implementation thereof are also, at the same time, part of good governance," he added.
As the keynote speaker, CPRD Chief Executive Md Shamsuddoha said, "Bangladesh has already started its activities for formulating the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) aiming at tackling climate change and enhancing the capacity of adaptation actions."
He further stressed, "In tune with the UNFCCC guidelines, the process of formulating the NAP must be participatory and transparent. The plan must be formulated considering the special risks faced by women, indigenous people, and communities falling behind, and alongside the risks at the local level and the actions required for reducing those risks."
At the dialogue, suggestions, proposals, and data were presented obtained from the local level consultation carried out by CPRD and other partner organisations in three individual regions (coastal region, river-bank erosion-prone region, and drought-prone region) with special attributes.
On behalf of the organisers, AOSED Executive Director Shameem Arefin and CCBVO Reporting and Documentation Officer Prodip Mardi made presentations on the climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation requirements in the South-West coastal region and North-West barind region of Bangladesh, respectively.
Rabeya Begum, executive director, SDS, discussed the climate change vulnerabilities and adaptation requirements in river eroded areas of Bangladesh.
Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Deputy Managing Director Fazle Rabbi Sadeque Ahmed, PhD, Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) President Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, UNDP Programme Specialist AKM Azad Rahman, among others, also delivered speeches at the programme.
