Bangladesh

Gender equality in adaptation and low carbon development

Climate change affects different regions, generations, income groups and genders differently. Developing countries, such as Bangladesh and the Pacific Region have already been highly affected. Poor people, a disproportionate amount of which are female are particularly vulnerable, and at the same time key actors. All too often, gender issues have been neglected so far in local and national climate policy-making. Women and communities have their own visions and knowledge on how to build and strengthen their resilience to climate change. And such visions are tied to the broader realities of power relationships that are informed by class, gender, ethnicity and citizenship.
Gender CC attempts to realize such visions through a joint project with its partners, the Center for Global Change in Bangladesh (CGC), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in Fiji Island. The project is to be carried out in the years 2010 to 2013.

You can download information on the overall objectives, target groups and activities here. For more information about the project in the Pacific please go here.

National context: Bangladesh

In Bangladesh the effects climate change have long been felt by the population. Many fishing communities have lost their livelihoods due storms and floods cause by rising sea levels (Ahmed and Neelormi, 2007). Rain has become unpredictable so that cultivating land has become unprofitable. Poor farmers are hardest hit. Forecasts for the future predict that the country will see more frequent and extreme weather conditions and water-borne dangers such as floods, erosion, salinity and humidity will increase (Huq et al., 1998). The livelihoods of the poor are going to be increasingly destroyed (Ahmad und Ahmed, 2000) which will force people to migrate (Ahmed and Neelormi, 2008). Women will bear the brunt of the negative effects of these developments; their vulnerability is disproportionately higher than that of men (Climate Change Cell /CCC, 2009).
In 2009, the government of Bangladesh passed a climate change strategy and an action plan. Several years before a ‚National Adaptation Programme of Action’ (NAPA) was developed, in order to further advance climate friendly development and adaptation measures. The government began to provide financial resources for adaptation and asked for the assistance of international organisations.
Until now, main activities on climate change lack gender sensitivity. The position of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is relatively weak, and cannot enforce women’s rights which fall into the responsibilities of other government departments. Gender issues were not taken up in the Ministry of Environment and Forest, which is responsible for climate change. This can be traced back to lacking awareness and capacities within the ministry. Thus, women have had little chance to express their needs and opinion and get involved in climate relevant decision-making.

Project Partner: Center for Global Change (CGC), Bangladesh

CGC is an experienced policy advisor. Moreover, the organisation currently acts as national contact point for gender issues and as a focal point for GenderCC in Asia.
The CGC was and is involved in the promotion of including gender aspects nationally and internationally in adaptation and mitigation of climate change. By request from the government of Bangladesh CGC has conducted the very first research work on the different vulnerabilities of women and men in the context of climate change in Bangladesh. Furthermore, CGC has played a significant role in the "Second National Dialogue" on climate change, and thereafter organised a conference on "Addressing Gender Concerns in Adaptation Discourse: Leadership Awaits Bangladesh" in April 2010. Moreover, CGC has brought gender-sensitive shelters in times of hurricanes into the discussion in Bangladesh. This suggestion has been accepted by the National Commission, which thereafter designed adequate shelters.

The Center for Global Change will put a specific focus on trainings on gender-sensitive adaptation and low carbon development measures for representatives from NGOs, universities and government. The goal here is to build the capacity for future programs and projects to be more gender sensitive.
In parallel to the the implementation of training courses and workshops, the Center for Global Change will get actively involved in the respective mechanisms of national policy making.
Moreover, two pilot projects will be conducted at local level, one in the national "climate hotspot" in the southwest of the country and another in a major urban region. The pilot projects serve to test and evaluate previously developed methods and content in terms of effectiveness and appropriateness.

Please contact Sharmind Neelormi to get more information.

Women in Agriculture: Policy Recommendation under Climate Change

A roundtable discussion on recognising women farmers, and policy integration regarding their access to government services was held on 10th of February, 2011 in Dhaka. The program was jointly organized by Centre for Global Change (CGC), Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL), Gender and Climate Change Network (GenderCC).

The discussion was centred on farmer cards which women had so far received very seldom, mirroring an insufficient recognition of their role as farmers.

Please read the press release.

National Dialogue

The Government of Bangladesh has allocated 100 million USD as climate fund for 2009-2010. The initiative is a pioneering one to challenge climate change through enhancing people’s adaptive capacity. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry is already in the process of scrutinizing proposals for on ground adaptation. Government agencies as well as NGOs and CBOs have been invited to participate in the process. It is therefore high time to address gender concerns in these programs. Bangladesh awaits real leadership.

Against this backdrop GenderCC and CGC have jointly organized a national dialogue on “Addressing Gender Concerns in Adaptation Discourse: Leadership Awaits Bangladesh”, involving different stakeholders in Dhaka on April 6, 2010. The workshop was designed to bring a wider group of participants from the Government, Donors, NGOs and Civil Society together.

The keynote speaker was Prof Sharmind Neelormi of Jahangirnagar University, who is also GenderCC’s Focal Point in Asia. She argued that it was essential to link women’s rights, gender and climate justice so that communities will develop and thrive in the future. All in all, 67 participants attended the dialogue, notable guests were state minister to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, lawmaker Zunayed Ahmed Palak.

As a result of the meeting, participants urged policy-makers to take action on the following issues:

• Gender sensitive relief package.

• Address the lack of gender disaggregated data in the area of climate change.

• Alternative income generating activities for women.

• Facilitating institutional credits to women, specifically women headed households.

• Sensitization of the media on the issue.

Fore more information please read the report or email Sharmind Neelormi.