Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal have called for continued access to predictable, grant-based climate finance beyond their graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, warning that development progress does not mean an end to climate vulnerability.
Representatives from the three countries also urged stronger regional cooperation to address shared climate threats, including Himalayan glacier retreat, changing monsoon patterns, transboundary river flows, extreme weather events, rising sea levels and salinity intrusion.
The demands came at a press conference titled “From Shared Vulnerability to Resilience in BBN: Advancing Adaptation and Finance Priorities at COP31”, organised by the Centre for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD) in collaboration with the Climate Justice Alliance–Bangladesh (CJA-B) at the COP31 venue in Antalya on Saturday.
The event brought together government representatives, climate experts and civil society organisations from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal to push for a vulnerability-centred approach to climate adaptation and financing under the United Nations climate negotiations.
Speakers said the three countries face interconnected climate risks despite their different geographical and economic circumstances, forming a shared mountain-to-delta system that requires coordinated responses rather than isolated national strategies.
Moderating the discussion, Md Shamsuddoha, chief executive of CPRD, said LDC graduation should not be treated as graduation from climate vulnerability.
He called for greater flexibility in accessing international climate finance after graduation, arguing that development achievements should not undermine countries' ability to secure the resources needed to adapt to climate change.
Presenting the keynote paper, Sheikh Nur Ataya Rabbi, programme manager for research and advocacy at CPRD, stressed the need for a collective Bangladesh-Bhutan-Nepal (BBN) adaptation and climate finance agenda at COP31.
He said coordinated regional advocacy and a shared narrative were essential to ensure that the international community recognises the countries' distinct vulnerabilities as well as their interconnected climate risks.
Dr Shah Abdul Saadi, joint secretary at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) under Bangladesh's Ministry of Finance, said climate-related weather events were becoming increasingly frequent, intense, prolonged and unpredictable, with consequences extending across the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra (GMB) basin.
He pointed out that many vulnerable communities and geographical areas remain underrepresented and inadequately supported because of gaps in vulnerability mapping, risk assessments, institutional responsibilities and resource allocation.
Saadi emphasised the importance of cross-border collaboration among civil society organisations to strengthen advocacy, generate evidence for policymaking and establish institutional mechanisms to address transboundary vulnerabilities.
He also called for interoperable early warning systems across the region, stressing that their effectiveness depends not only on coverage but also on accessibility and usability for vulnerable communities.
He urged countries to mobilise financial and technological resources at the scale and speed required to respond to growing climate threats.
Manjeet Dhakal, head of the LDC Support Team and director of Climate Analytics South Asia, described Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal as an interconnected mountain-to-delta climate development corridor linked through the Himalayas and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
He argued that the region's shared climate risks cannot be adequately addressed through individual country-based approaches.
Instead, he called for recognising BBN as a regional adaptation hub, with financing and planning guided by actual vulnerabilities and adaptation needs.
Md Ziaul Haque, additional director general (PRL) of the Department of Environment under Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, echoed the call for continued international support after LDC graduation.
He said graduation reflects development progress, not the disappearance of climate vulnerability, and called for stronger links between national adaptation priorities and climate finance under the UNFCCC framework.
Haque stressed that grant-based support should be protected through financing arrangements that consider future climate vulnerabilities and countries' fiscal capacities.
He also called for ensuring that international finance reaches nationally identified and costed adaptation priorities on appropriate terms, backed by coordinated regional advocacy.
Ruchi Chaudhary, programme manager at Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), urged governments and civil society organisations across BBN to pursue a coordinated, vulnerability-centred adaptation agenda.
She said the three countries had demonstrated sustained climate leadership despite facing severe vulnerabilities and limited resources.
Building on the BBN Alliance's advocacy at COP28, COP29 and COP30, she highlighted the importance of transboundary risk monitoring, early warning systems, locally led adaptation, transparent climate finance delivery and accountability to vulnerable communities.
She also called for aligning adaptation priorities with low-carbon development pathways under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Low-Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS).
Three key demands
The press conference outlined three major policy priorities for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal at COP31 and beyond.
The first is to make vulnerability-centred adaptation a priority in global climate negotiations, ensuring that financing and support reflect equity, human rights and the interconnected risks faced by the three countries.
The second is to secure continued access to adequate, predictable, accessible and grant-based adaptation finance beyond LDC graduation. Speakers said future financing arrangements must consider actual and projected climate vulnerabilities, national adaptation requirements and fiscal capacities rather than relying solely on development classifications.
The third is to strengthen coordinated regional action through a common BBN advocacy and negotiating agenda, including cooperation on early warning systems, locally led adaptation, transparent climate finance delivery and accountability.
The speakers concluded by urging governments, civil society organisations and international development partners to work towards a more equitable global adaptation framework that recognises climate vulnerability beyond economic and development classifications.
They warned that countries should not lose access to essential climate support simply because they have achieved a higher development status, particularly when their communities continue to face mounting climate risks.
This story was produced as part of the COP31 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews' Earth Journalism Network, Informed Earth and the Stanley Centre for Peace and Security.
