State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam has stressed the urgent need for collective action and stronger international cooperation among climate-vulnerable countries to address the adverse impacts of climate change.
If vulnerable countries jointly raise their concerns and priorities at international forums, meaningful progress can be made in improving the living standards of affected communities, ensuring access to safe drinking water and strengthening food security, he said.
The state minister made the remarks while delivering the opening address at a high-level policy dialogue titled "Living Waters, Shared Rights: Climate Resilience through Natural Rights-Led Governance" at the Bangladesh Pavilion on Monday, held on the opening day of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Antalya, Turkiye.
Rising sea levels are posing serious threats to Bangladesh's access to safe drinking water, food security, housing and infrastructure, he said.
He also emphasised that stronger cooperation among Global South nations and climate-vulnerable countries is essential to tackling these growing challenges.
The dialogue, organised by Change Initiative in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland and WaterAid Bangladesh, emphasised natural rights-led water governance, the protection of transboundary rivers, enhanced climate resilience and equitable access to water for local communities.
Faridul Islam, who also serves as the Convener of the Nature and Governance Policy Platform (NGPP), stated that the impacts of climate change are increasingly threatening the lives and livelihoods of people, particularly in developing and climate-vulnerable countries.
He stressed that the international climate agenda must give due priority to addressing people’s fundamental needs, particularly access to safe drinking water and food security.
He also called for coordinated initiatives to safeguard the common interests of climate-vulnerable countries and strengthen effective international cooperation.
During the dialogue, speakers noted that the natural flow of rivers is not confined by political boundaries. They emphasised that transboundary river management must take into account the natural characteristics of rivers, ecosystem protection and the rights of communities dependent on shared water resources.
The speakers also underscored the need to formulate effective water governance policies by integrating scientific evidence, natural rights principles and international cooperation.
M. Zakir Hossain Khan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Change Initiative said that Bangladesh shares 54 transboundary rivers with India and that the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty is set to expire on 12 December 2026. Against this backdrop, he emphasised the importance of effective cooperation and coordinated policy initiatives for sustainable transboundary water governance.
According to research conducted by Change Initiative and presented during the dialogue, Bangladesh received USD 7.78 in loans for every USD 1 in grants in climate finance for the water supply sector between 2002 and 2023.
The findings highlighted the need to increase grant-based climate financing instead of loans for climate-vulnerable countries and local communities.
International experts on climate finance and water governance, development partners, and representatives of Indigenous communities from Bangladesh and Chile also participated in the dialogue.