Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Monday said the country’s hilly districts have been neglected in the climate change interventions, though the areas face a devastating impact.
“When we talk about climate change and adaptation, yes, we do talk about Cox’s Bazar and the coastal areas….. We really don’t talk about the hill areas where the climate changes also have a devastating impact,” she said.
The environment adviser made this remark while addressing the national-level launching event of a project titled “USAID Host and Impacted Community Resilience Activity” at Hotel InterContinental here.
This five-year US$ 70,199-activity will be implemented in four districts --Cox’s Bazar and three Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) districts-- to empower the communities to improve well-being and resilience.
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Noting that this project is a very important intervention, she thanked the US government and USAID for coming forward to support the people of a region whose names are really not mentioned much in the climate change talks.
Rizwana said the country’s natural resources-rich three CHT districts and Cox’s Bazar should be seen as areas of potential, not problems.
“The natural resources rich areas like Cox’s Bazar and the hilly districts of Bangladesh should actually be seen not as areas of problems but as areas of potential. Regrettably because of different interventions and geopolitics over the decades we have turned them into areas of conflicts and areas of problems,” she said.
Rizwana, also the Water Resources Adviser, said the Department of Public Health and Engineering claimed they supply water to 63 percent of the population in Rangamati, 61percent in Bandarban and 78 percent in Khagrachhari.
“If we accept this government-given statistics true, then also a huge number of people are left behind and are not getting access to public water supply,” she said, adding that the USAID project that talks about the supply of water will have a very positive impact on those who are left behind and those who are not covered by the government’s network.
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Citing that the restaurants of indigenous food in Dhaka are pretty popular, the adviser said in this era of internet and increased tourism, the people of Bangladesh have a quiet taste of indigenous food and that is a way of showing respect to their culture.
She said the indigenous food, cloth, jewelry and food production system can actually be assisted to find a place in the mainstream markets.
Chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Dhaka Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson said Cox’s Bazar and CHT areas are important regions that have tremendous natural beauty and resources and very rich coastal heritages and also regions that face challenges – challenges from natural disasters like cyclones and flooding.
These challenges prevent the people from achieving economic outcomes in food security and in educational outcomes they want, she said.
Jacobson said the influx of Rohingyas to this area has put pressure on local infrastructures and local resources and complicated the problems.
“Developing sustainable solutions requires us to work together and leverage local expertise to lead the way. This is why we are bringing together partners from government, business, civil society, and most importantly – community members – and equipping them with the skills and resources they need to build brighter and more prosperous futures for themselves,” she said.
President of Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) Dr Manzoor Ahmed delivered the welcome speech at the function.
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The USAID Host and Impacted Community Resilience Activity 2024-2029, to be implemented by local organization FIVDB, will provide people with job skills training and economic opportunities, improve access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and hygiene, and prepare host communities to better mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
The initiative will also bring host and impacted communities together with local authorities to protect over 35,000 hectares of land and conserve the area’s precious natural resources.
This new programme builds upon U.S. government support for host communities in Bangladesh as part of more than $2.5 billion in assistance for the regional Rohingya response since August 2017, which includes more than $2.1 billion of support for refugees and host and impacted communities in Bangladesh.
Under the Host and Impacted Community Resilience Activity, FIVDB will lead a consortium of partners comprised of Nature Conservation Management (NACOM), DevWorks International, Helen Keller International, Christian Aid, and the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation alongside local organizations from the Chittagong Hill Tracts that includes ANANDO, ASHIKA Development Associates, and Bolipara Nari Kalyan Somity to implement this activity.