Dhaka: State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam on Thursday reaffirmed the government's commitment to labour welfare and environmental sustainability, at a national dialogue to advance implementation of the Just Transition Chapter under its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0).
According to United News of Bangladesh, the state minister, while inaugurating the dialogue titled "Advancing Bangladesh's Just Transition: From Commitment to Action," emphasized government priorities including renewable energy expansion, environmental restoration, and stronger protection of workers covering safety, fair wages, and health. The event, convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh and the Department of Environment (DoE), aimed to bring together various stakeholders including government officials, workers, employers, youth, civil society, and development partners ahead of COP31.
Abdur Rahim Khan, Additional Secretary of the Labour Wing at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, underscored Just Transition as fundamentally a livelihood issue, focusing on tripartite social dialogue, workforce reskilling, employment creation, and occupational safety and health as key priorities.
Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Director of the ILO's Just Transition Priority Action Program, commended Bangladesh for developing a costed Just Transition chapter within its NDC. He highlighted that social justice and decent work are essential to achieving climate ambition and invited Bangladesh to present its model at the Global Just Transition Pavilion at COP31. Hanna Norell, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden, reaffirmed Sweden's partnership with Bangladesh and the ILO, stressing the integration of environmental, economic, and social priorities in the transition.
Mirza Shawkat, Director at the DoE, presented an overview of NDC 3.0, noting that the country's emissions stood at 252 million metric tonnes in 2022, projected to reach 480 million tonnes by 2035 under business-as-usual. NDC 3.0 aims for 391 million tonnes under the unconditional pathway and 333 million tonnes with international support, requiring an estimated $116 billion between 2026 and 2035.
Selim Raihan, Executive Director of SANEM, and Elisa Benistant Fremigacci, ILO Technical Officer for Just Transition, presented the Just Transition Chapter, developed through consultations with over 200 counterparts across 140 organisations. Dr Raihan highlighted that Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to undertake such an exercise.
In a Youth Voices session moderated by Amanullah Porag of Youth for NDCs, young representatives called for participation from the design stage of climate programmes and formal representation in decision-making structures. A panel on financing heard calls for simpler green finance procedures and greater cost-sharing by international brand buyers, while Bangladesh Bank outlined existing sustainable finance facilities. Dr Fahmida Khatun of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) emphasized the need for disaggregated data to guide targeted policy.
Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Environment, proposed employment creation as a primary indicator of climate policy success alongside emissions reduction, and suggested an Inter-Ministerial Just Transition Monitoring Body under the NDC Advisory Committee. Lutfor Rahman, Director General of the DoE, delivered the vote of thanks, urging that the day's commitments be translated into measurable outcomes.