Staff Reporter:
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the
Ministry of Water Resources, announced proposals to transform forest resource centers into nature
learning
hubs to engage urban youth with biodiversity.
During a meeting on Thursday, with a high-level Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
delegation led by its Executive Senior Vice-President Miyazaki Katsura, at the Bangladesh Secretariat,
she also sought JICA's support to modernize the Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation
(BFIDC) for eco-friendly furniture production and expand into new markets.
Additional proposals included upgrading safari parks to global standards and enhancing digital forest
monitoring to combat illegal logging.
The meeting, rooted in mutual respect and a strong bilateral partnership, focused on deepening
collaboration in climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, forest management and sustainable
development.
Rizwana Hasan highlighted Bangladesh's push for renewable energy, emphasizing solarization of public
buildings and referencing past judicial mandates for rooftop solar panels.
She also addressed the ship-breaking industry's environmental and human costs, urging Japan to uphold
transparency and accountability in future cooperation.
Expressing gratitude for Japan's consistent support, the adviser praised JICA's track record of early
project completion, budget efficiency and public trust, notably referencing Japan's handling of the
Matarbari project's second phase.
Katsura commended Bangladesh's independent development efforts and reaffirmed JICA's alignment
with global "Zero Poverty" and "Zero Unemployment" goals, as well as the Paris Agreement.
She highlighted JICA's contributions, including the Clean Dhaka initiative, and outlined four key areas of
climate adaptation support: data-driven planning, knowledge-sharing, energy transition, and private-
sector financing.
Discussions also covered the Climate Change Trust Fund and the new Bangladesh Climate Development
Partnership platform to streamline international finance.
Rizwana proposed a wildlife conservation trust, inviting Japanese collaboration.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Farhina Ahmed, its Additional
Secretaries Mohammad Navid Shafiullah and Md Khayrul Hasan, Chief Conservator of Forest Md Amir
Hossain Chowdhury and JICA officials Yamada Tetsuya, Ichiguchi Tomohide and Miura Mari were
present, among others, in the meeting.
