Staff Reporter:
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Thursday stressed the need for regional cooperation in South Asia to address climate change impacts.
“Let’s work together to outline steps for effective collaboration and progress. To identify areas for meaningful joint action, we should focus on energy, agriculture, forestry, and potentially rivers,” she said.
“These sectors are interconnected with climate resilience and provide significant opportunities for collaboration and shared learning,” the adviser said while speaking at a meeting with the environment secretaries of Nepal and Bhutan at the Bangladesh Pavilion during the ongoing COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Environment Secretary Farhina Ahmed was present at the meeting, read a press release.
During the meeting, Rizwana also emphasised the need for actionable joint initiatives in key areas such as energy, agriculture, forestry, and rivers.
She cautioned against the adoption of false solutions promoted by agro-giants and called for prioritising sustainable practices that genuinely support farmers and communities.
Sharing experiences on forest conservation and its role in achieving climate goals and protecting vulnerable populations were other key areas, the environment adviser said.
She focused on renewable energy to meet growing demands while reducing emissions and called upon countries to share strategies to accelerate transitions to sustainable energy, enhancing both national and regional resilience.
Rivers, as a critical resource for climate adaptation and agriculture, were also identified as a potential focus for collaboration.
She proposed mechanisms to address challenges related to price-sensitive crops and further stressed the need for innovative solutions such as community seed banks and resilient crop varieties.
“By establishing mechanisms to share innovations, such as community seed banks or resilient crop varieties, we can amplify benefits with minimal investment. These areas are practical and actionable, requiring fewer political hurdles, making them ideal for joint action,” Rizwana said.
The meeting underscored the shared commitment of the participating countries to collaboration on sustainable and climate-resilient development pathways.
Later, Rizwana met the ministers of Least Developed Countries at the COP29 in Baku.
