Saima for holistic approaches to face climate change challenges

CVF Thematic Ambassador for Vulnerability Saima Wazed Hossain on Monday called for making holistic approaches to make integrated action plans considering the experiences of most vulnerable communities to face the challenges of climate change.

“Climate change issue is a huge global challenge, but if we look at people and how well resilient people do, what works for them, we can actually help the most vulnerable people,” she said.

Saima, also Chairperson of the Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Autism, was addressing a virtual discussion titled ‘CVF-CoP 26 Dialogue: Meeting the Survival Deadline towards Maximal Resilience’ arranged by Bangladesh High Commission in London.

She said: “As we go forward …I hope that one of the things we add to that looking at the resiliency that the population in most vulnerable countries really shows as much as they have ability to build back batter. We need to look at individual communities what work them.”

“When talk about climate change, we emphasize on reducing the temperature and green house gas and those are extremely important issues. Within the conversation for our country’s vulnerabilities issue of the population, we forget about the stories of individuals,” she added.

Saima said the loss of infrastructures, loss to livelihood and loss of all human support system and eco-system, everything impact and increases those who are even more vulnerable because of their cultural and as well religious believe, because of the disability, health conditions.

She said this is an opportunity going forward when it comes to realize going through this global pandemic that no issue can be separate unless “we address it holistically and looked at all of the aspects.”

“Health certainly is an important part of this and I think in a lot time we lose the part of the conversation. By health, I mean both physical and mental health. In addition, another thing we often forget is issue of disability of persons living with disability not only physical, but those have difficulty in communication,” she said.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Md Shahriar Alam attended the virtual dialogue as the chief guest while Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)’s all members who are high commissioners and ambassadors of different countries in London participated in the dialogue and gave their recommendations for Cop-26 to be held in the next year.