Civil society representatives suggested to forge a common platform for cross border cooperation on human displacement and river basin management in South Asia, involving China, as many international rivers are born there.
The demand was raised at a seminar in the city on Sunday, little over a week before the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) scheduled to take place in New Delhi from 2-5 November, said a press release.
The representatives from 21 civil society organizations (CSOs) also urged Bangladesh government delegates to raise the issue in the upcoming Delhi conference. A government delegation is set to join the conference.
Sawkat Ali Tutul, a representative of COAST, proposed a six-point demand that need to be raised in the Delhi conference. The key points include: regional countries should consider the basin wise river management to reduce erosion, flood and salinity intrusion, build critical infrastructure to protect people from cyclone and tidal surge, and provide shelter to urban poor.
Others said getting official development assistance was a legitimate right for a country like Bangladesh that suffers regularly from disasters and climate induced displacements. Some other countries in the region also suffer from several other problems that need to be tackled together, they observed.
