Responding to Climate Induced Displacement in Bangladesh: A Governance Perspective

Abstract

In Bangladesh’s low-lying disaster-prone river delta, cyclone, flood, and riverbank erosion occur every year and displace about one million people with a loss equivalent to about 1% of its GDP. This paper examines how this country has dealt with climate-induced displacement. In particular, we analyze Bangladesh’s climate governance by focusing on its resettlement-rehabilitation-resilient policy. This policy assisted displaced households to resettle in so-called “cluster villages” and provided them with training for essential skills, leadership, disaster preparedness, and income generation/diversification. We discuss how the central government’s seventeen departments and relevant local government institutions played roles in this policy. In the last ten years or so, this rehabilitation program has been incorporated into the national climate change policy and socio-economic development plans. Our examination of these recent policy developments shows that the decision-making process essentially remained top-down despite the increasing emphasis in policy documents on local participation. In conclusion, we identify some factors that have prevented local households from actively participating in resettlement and socio-economic developments.

Presenters

Kisinger Chakma
Student, PhD Candidate, Sustainable Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

Kenichi Matsui
University of Tsukuba

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Technical, Political, and Social Responses

KEYWORDS

Climate-induced Displacement, Mainstreaming, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, Bangladesh

Digital Media

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Responding to Climate-Induced Displacement in Bangladesh (Chakma - pptx)

13th_Climate_conference_Vancouver_2021__読み取り専用_.pptx