Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Over 63 per cent children in the country, totalling to 12 million, are at risk of climate change including frequent cyclones, flood, untimely rainfall, draught, extreme heat-wave and thunderstorm.
Experts said it on Monday, citing a UNICEF report, at a national dialogue on climate financing on children at Conference Room of BRAC Centre Inn at Mohakhali in the capital.
Save the Children, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER) of BRAC University, Australian Aid and Community Participation and Development (CPD) jointly organised the event.
Stressing on saving children from climate change effects, speakers also called upon national and international organisations to incorporate children centred climate financing into their plans, actions and financing.
In the fiscal year 2018-19 fiscal year, about Tk 240 billion was allocated for dealing with climate change effects, but it did not clearly say how much of it was used for the children, they said.
They called for creating an opportunity for children to have a dialogue with the policymakers for recognising climate financing for children.
Adviser of the C3ER, BRAC University Dr. Ainun Nishat said children at different parts of the world recently came to the streets in a bid to put pressure on the leaders to take steps for child centred climate change programmes.
Dr Nishat also called upon children to force the government to work in their favour regarding the climate issues.
Dr. Nurul Quadir, additional secretary (Climate Change), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, attended as the chief guest while Dr. Fazle Rabbi Sadeque Ahmed, Director (Environment and Climate Change) of Palli Karma Sahayuk Foundation, presented the key note paper.
Mostak Hussain, Humanitarian Director of the Save the Children, AKM Mamunur Rashid, climate change specialist of UNDP, among others, spoke while executive director of CPD Moslema Bari chaired the event.
Students from different schools in the capital took part in the dialogue.