A national consultation on the current state of climate-induced migration and urban life, along with future approaches, was held on Wednesday at 11am at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), organized by Caritas Bangladesh.
Among those present were Daud Jibon Das, director (Program) of Caritas Bangladesh, Sohrab Hassan, joint editor of Prothom Alo; Mynul Hasan Sohel, general secretary of DRU; former DRU president Rafiqul Islam Azad and several journalists.
The session was moderated by Dr Jamil Ahmed, advocacy consultant at Caritas Bangladesh.
In his comments, Daud Jibon Das highlighted Caritas’s long-term efforts to reduce the risks and improve the lives of populations affected by climate-induced crises and disasters.
He urged media cooperation to enhance the role of non-governmental organizations in addressing internal migration challenges.
He also noted that Caritas Bangladesh has served over 47 million people by constructing more than one million homes, improving drainage systems and developing community infrastructure to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.
Additionally, the organization has strengthened disaster management capacity by training and equipping 3,000 disaster management committees and 14,000 community volunteers.
To reduce disaster risks for vulnerable communities, particularly in coastal and flood-prone areas, Caritas has built 329 cyclone and flood shelters in various districts.
Alexander Tripura, head of the Disaster Management Department at Caritas Bangladesh, shared the plight of displaced communities in the country’s southern region.
Citing the story of Nur Banu Begum, a survivor of Cyclone Aila in Khulna, he illustrated the deepening crisis of climate-induced migration.
He emphasized that a lack of proper urban planning has worsened housing and livelihood challenges for displaced people in urban areas.
Sohrab Hassan, joint editor of Prothom Alo, proposed forming a working group of journalists focused on climate change.
He pointed out that 2 to 2.5 million people are internally displaced in Bangladesh each year, many of whom migrate to urban centers due to coastal disasters—overwhelming the cities’ capacity.
DRU General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel stressed the importance of effectively implementing government initiatives for coastal communities.
He called for livelihood solutions tailored to local crises.
Television journalist Jesmin Jahan underscored the need for integrated efforts and evidence-based research to rehabilitate people displaced by disasters.
Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, journalist at Kaler Kantho, emphasized the increasing severity of disasters due to climate change and the resulting migration crisis.
He recommended training workshops for journalists covering these issues.
Nasima, president of the Women Journalists’ Association, said that climate change has severely impacted agriculture, driving farmers to urban areas.
She warned that women are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of migration.
Speakers throughout the event stressed the urgent need for a collective and integrated approach to address the interlinked challenges of climate change and migration.
