UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis has said the government of Bangladesh is playing a critical, and often life-saving role in responding to climate-related disasters. "Anticipating climate risks is one way we can better support the government to act promptly and mitigate the impacts of disasters. The ultimate goal is to help affected people so that they can recover and get back to normal as soon as possible,” she said thanking the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief for co-organising a meeting to that end. Strengthening collaboration on disaster risk management for the government-led emergency response was discussed at the first meeting of the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) on Wednesday co-chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), MD Kamrul Hasan, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis. The Humanitarian Coordination Task Team meeting was attended by government officials, UN agency focal points, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), international organisations, the Red Cross Movement and the Red Crescent, and diplomatic missions. Welcoming meeting participants, Gwyn Lewis spoke about the importance of strengthening joint disaster response efforts so that when a flood or a cyclone hits Bangladesh, people that are impacted are supported in the best and quickest way possible. The Secretary thanked UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis for collaborative efforts to implement the 2019 National Plan for Disaster and the Standing Order on Disaster (SoD) and said that the HCTT and cluster collaboration need to transform considering muti-hazard early warning for all, anticipatory action, internal displacement management, and environmental protection. “Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. In addition, recent rapid urbanisation has increased the risk of earthquakes as well as man-made disasters. The recent fire incident in Sitakunda, Chittagong district and the protracted floods in Sylhet district reminds us of the necessity of efficient response,” he said, noting that protection and gender should be at the centre of the coordination work. Read more: Gwyn Lewis of Ireland appointed UNRC in Bangladesh Overall, following the June 2022 floods, the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team and its partners mobilised around 20 million US dollars to respond to the most urgent needs reflected in the Government's Flash Flood Response Plan. Another key achievement of this humanitarian coordination mechanism in 2022 was the creation of the INFORM Sub-national Risk Index of Bangladesh: an open source for risk assessment at the local level that is used to identify vulnerable populations. Participants of the event talked about ways to enhance collaboration and strengthen humanitarian preparedness and response to climate-related disasters. HCTT members agreed to improve the disaster risk information system and to coordinate humanitarian work through effective planning, monitoring and resource mobilisation. The Humanitarian Coordination Task Team (HCTT) is a working group and it was set up in 2012 to provide operational-level support coordinating disaster risk management, preparedness, and response efforts of government, national and international organisations in Bangladesh. Since 2016, the HCTT collectively raised over 103 million USD for nine different response plans in Bangladesh.

Climate-related disasters have affected the lives of at least 139.2 million people and killed more than 17,242 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a new global analysis.  The analysis is published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, on the compound impacts of extreme-weather events and COVID-19.  A further estimated 658.1 million vulnerable people have been exposed to extreme temperatures.  Read:Vaccine equity, Rohingya, climate change on top of Hasina’s UNGA agenda Through new data and specific case studies, the report shows how people across the world are facing multiple crises and coping with overlapping vulnerabilities.   The paper also highlights the need of addressing both crises simultaneously as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected livelihoods across the world and has made communities more vulnerable to climate risks.  Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the globe are not only responding to those overlapping crises but also helping communities to prepare and anticipate climate risks. In Bangladesh for instance, the Red Crescent Society has used IFRC’s designated funds for anticipatory action to disseminate flood related Early Warning Messages through loudspeakers in vulnerable areas so people can take the necessary measures or evacuate if necessary.   The IFRC President, Francesco Rocca, who presented the new report at a press conference in New York said the world is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis where the climate change and COVID-19 are pushing communities to their limits.  In the lead up to COP26, we urge world leaders to take immediate action not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to address the existent and imminent humanitarian impacts of climate change”.  Read: Bangladesh, UK issue collective call for ‘ambitious action’ against climate change The report comes a year after an initial analysis of the overlapping risks of extreme-weather events that have occurred during the COVID-19 crisis.  The pandemic continues to wreak havoc, with direct health impacts for millions of people around the world, but also a massive indirect impact, in part due to the response measures implemented to contain the pandemic.   Food insecurity caused by weather extremes has been aggravated by COVID-19.  Health systems are pushed to their limits and the most vulnerable have been the most exposed to overlapping shocks.  In Afghanistan, the impacts of the extreme drought are compounded by conflict and COVID-19.  The drought has crippled agricultural food production and diminished livestock, leaving millions of people hungry and malnourished.  Read: Climate change could move 200 million people by 2050: report The Afghan Red Crescent Society has ramped up relief, including food and cash assistance for people to buy food supplies, plant drought-resistant food crops and protect their livestock.   Julie Arrighi, associate director at the RCRC Climate Center said: “Hazards do not need to become disasters. We can counter the trend of rising risks and save lives if we change how we anticipate crises, fund early action and risk reduction at the local level. Finally, we need to help communities become more resilient, especially in the most vulnerable contexts.”  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on climate risks.  Governments need to commit to investing in community adaptation, anticipation systems and local actors.  “The massive spending in COVID-19 recovery proves that governments can act fast and drastically in the face of global threats. It is time to turn words into action and devote the same energy to the climate crisis. Every day, we are witnessing the impact of human-made climate change. The climate crisis is here, and we need to act now,” Rocca said.