Ahead of the FY2026–27 national budget, policymakers, researchers and public health experts on Saturday called for urgent reforms to Bangladesh's climate-health financing system, warning that budget allocations for the sector have declined despite growing climate-related health risks across the country.
The call came at a high-level policy dialogue titled “Climate-Responsive Health Financing and Health System Resilience in Bangladesh,” organised by the Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD) in collaboration with HEKS/EPER and Shushilan at BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka.
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Findings presented at the event showed that climate-relevant allocations within the Health Services Division fell from 2.74 percent of its total budget in FY2021-22 to 1.97 percent in FY2025-26.
Health's share of the national climate budget also declined during the same period, dropping from about 2.5 percent to 1.5 percent, even as Bangladesh faces increasing exposure to climate-induced health threats.
According to the study, less than one percent of financing from the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) has been allocated to health-related projects. Of the 877 projects funded through the trust fund as of 2024, only three were implemented through the Health Services Division.
The study also highlighted major structural weaknesses in climate-health financing.
While Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2023–2050 identifies health as a key adaptation priority and the Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP) estimates that approximately USD 1.4 billion will be needed over the next five years to build climate-resilient health systems, current financing remains heavily project-oriented.
More than 60 percent of climate-health expenditure is concentrated in development projects, while critical investments in disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, workforce capacity, climate-health research, and long-term health system resilience continue to receive limited attention.
The findings suggested a persistent gap between national climate-health ambitions and the financing mechanisms needed to implement them.
The event also featured findings from CPRD's study titled “Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Reproductive Health of Coastal Women and Adolescent Girls.”
The study documents serious reproductive and maternal health challenges among women in coastal areas, linked to climate-induced poverty, water scarcity, salinity intrusion, and inadequate sanitation services.
Women participating in the study reported a wide range of reproductive health complications, including irregular menstruation, severe menstrual pain, amenorrhea, abnormal bleeding, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, postpartum infections, hemorrhage, and chronic reproductive health conditions.
Discussants noted that these health impacts are no longer isolated public health concerns but represent a growing climate adaptation challenge requiring dedicated financing, stronger institutions, and improved coordination across government agencies.
The dialogue brought together senior government officials, public health experts, researchers, development partners, civil society representatives, academics, climate specialists, and media professionals.
The session was facilitated by Md. Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive of CPRD.
He noted, “Climate finance remains a hazy space. To attract global attention and financing, quantitative evidence is essential. However, in climate-health discussions, the focus often remains limited to ensuring safe drinking water. We need to broaden that focus to ensure access to quality water for all aspects of daily life.”
Shah Abdul Saadi, Deputy Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), emphasized that establishing a strong climate rationale is crucial for claiming and mobilizing international climate finance. He noted that as global public finance for adaptation has declined by USD 2 billion in a single year, Bangladesh's climate budget tagging system needs clearer definitions and stronger sectoral ownership.
Prof. Dr. Md. Iqbal Kabir, Director, Climate Change and Health Promotion Unit (CCHPU), Health Services Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, observed, “Only 5 percent of global climate finance reaches the health sector, demonstrating that climate-health remains neglected globally, not only in Bangladesh. The scarcity of relevant data is also limiting our ability to develop stronger funding proposals and formulate evidence-based, data-driven policies.”
AKM Sohel, Additional Secretary and UN Wing Chief, Economic Relations Division (ERD), emphasized that climate change has not yet been fully mainstreamed into development planning, resulting in fragmented initiatives. He stressed that climate research should be expanded beyond coastal areas to include other vulnerable regions of the country.
He further highlighted the need for stronger data generation and improved climate literacy, noting that significant gaps remain in both areas. He also underscored the importance of creating a virtual platform to facilitate rapid access to information and collaboration opportunities. Given the decline in global climate finance and the likelihood of further reductions in the coming years, he called for maximizing the effective utilization of available resources and funding.
He urged “The loss and damages related to health must be counted as economic one. That will enable us generating cost investments plan for accessing global climate funds.”
The dialogue concluded with a set of policy recommendations for the FY2026–27 National Budget, including stronger integration of Health National Adaptation Plan priorities into national budgeting processes, improved climate-budget tracking systems, increased recurrent financing for preparedness and surveillance, and expanded access to domestic climate finance for health-led adaptation initiatives.