Dhaka, Bangladesh – Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, has unveiled proposals to transform forest resource centers into nature learning hubs, aiming to engage urban youth with biodiversity. She made these announcements during a meeting on Thursday with a high-level Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation, led by Executive Senior Vice-President Miyazaki Katsura, at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
During the meeting, Ms. Hasan also sought JICA’s support to modernize the Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC) for eco-friendly furniture production and to expand its reach into new markets. Additional proposals included upgrading safari parks to global standards and enhancing digital forest monitoring to combat illegal logging, a move that would significantly benefit forest conservation efforts.
The discussions, characterized by mutual respect and a strong bilateral partnership, focused on deepening collaboration in critical areas such such as climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, forest management, and sustainable development.
Rizwana Hasan highlighted Bangladesh’s proactive stance on renewable energy, specifically emphasizing the solarization of public buildings and referencing past judicial mandates for rooftop solar panels. She also addressed the significant environmental and human costs associated with the ship-breaking industry, urging Japan to uphold transparency and accountability in future cooperation related to this sector.
Expressing gratitude for Japan’s consistent support, the Adviser praised JICA’s commendable track record of early project completion, budget efficiency, and public trust, notably referencing Japan’s handling of the second phase of the Matarbari project.
In response, Katsura commended Bangladesh’s independent development efforts and reaffirmed JICA’s alignment with global “Zero Poverty” and “Zero Unemployment” goals, as well as the objectives of the Paris Agreement. She highlighted JICA’s existing contributions, including the successful Clean Dhaka initiative, and outlined four key areas for future climate adaptation support: data-driven planning, knowledge-sharing, energy transition, and private-sector financing.
Discussions also encompassed the Climate Change Trust Fund and the newly established Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership platform, designed to streamline international climate finance. Ms. Hasan further proposed the establishment of a dedicated wildlife conservation trust, inviting Japanese collaboration in this endeavor.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; 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,
