Climate migration must be treated as policy priority: Swapon
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Tuesday said the issue of climate-induced migration should not be viewed merely as a humanitarian or emergency crisis, but recognised as a critical issue of public policy.
He said: “It is the need of the hour to include this migration-related issue in the ongoing development process.”
The minister made the remarks while addressing a workshop organised by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) at the CIRDAP auditorium on Tuesday morning.
The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Speaking as the chief guest, Swapon said that alongside natural disasters, political factors have also emerged as a major cause of migration in recent times.
He said the incumbent government has been able to identify key challenges facing society and the state. “We have formed an elected government with the participation of the people. Our government is committed to addressing the problems of the people,” he added.
The minister said: “We have to face the challenge of climate change collectively. Science has not yet discovered any planet beyond Earth that is suitable for human habitation. So, we must protect this planet and keep it liveable.”
He called upon researchers and civil society members to work in coordination with the government to minimise the suffering of migrants.
At the workshop, the keynote address was delivered by RMMRU Executive Director and retired Dhaka University professor Dr Tasneem Siddiqui.
Nazia Haider, regional programme manager at the Embassy of Switzerland in Dhaka, presented the research rationale.
Dr Siddiqui said migration is not limited to Dhaka, and policymakers must recognise the need for timely and appropriate policy interventions.
“People are forced to move to Dhaka due to the closure of industries in Khulna and other regions. If industries are established at divisional or district levels and regional growth centres are developed, people will be able to increase their incomes in their own areas,” she said.
State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki and Lisa Tanitha Greminger, regional advisor for Migration Protection at the Embassy of Switzerland in Dhaka, also spoke at the event.
Moderated by RMMRU member and Dhaka University professor Obaidul Haque, the event was also addressed, among others, by Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Professor AK Enamul Haque, architect Iqbal Habib and Caritas Head of Disaster Management Alexander Tripura.
The workshop discussed in detail the risks of climate change in the Jashore and Satkhira regions, the human cost of displacement, and the role of civil society and local government in ensuring affordable housing for migrants.