FROM PAGE 3
“We are not indebted to industrialised nations; rather, they are indebted to us. Climate justice is now a matter of accountability and effective action,” she said.
Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said climate change should not be treated only as a technical or economic issue. “Climate justice means justice, survival, and accountability,” she said, adding that the Global North often offers loans instead of justice.
Eminent economist Prof Anu Muhammad said the interim government had an opportunity to address climate and environmental issues after setbacks during the previous 15-year regime.
“But they failed to do so,” he said, warning that taking loans in the name of climate finance could increase the country’s risks.
Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, said poor countries like Bangladesh are facing severe losses due to climate impacts.
She said the lives and livelihoods of people in char areas, haor regions, and coastal zones are under threat, with women and children being the most affected. Women’s health, education, livelihoods, and overall lives are being seriously jeopardised by climate change, she added.
Sharif Jamil, member secretary of the organising committee, conducted the opening session, while convenor Dr Mujibur Rahman Howlader chaired it. Three technical sessions were held later.
Freedom
FROM PAGE 3
He also noted that despite achieving victory in 1971, the full realisation of the spirit and achievements of the Liberation War remains incomplete. “Various vested quarters and political interests are attempting to distort history,” he said.
At the programme, guerrilla fighter Mizanur Rahman shared memories of a battle fought on November 11, 1971, in Betiara village against Pakistani forces. “In that battle, we lost 11 fellow fighters. That struggle, like the entire Liberation War, was made possible by the sacrifices of our martyred comrades and the courage of the masses,” he said.
As part of the event, photographs and archival reports published in different media during the Liberation War were displayed at the Shaheed Minar premises.