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Created: 30 November 2023

DHAKA, Dec 1, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has coauthored an article with CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation Patrick Verkooijen on climate change in the famous American weekly news magazine, Newsweek.

The article was published on Thursday (November 30) while the global leaders are convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to find ways to fight climate change impact globally.

Climate change is a global disaster inflicted by the rich upon the poor-and increasingly upon themselves. Global leaders convening for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai need to understand that their top-down approach can never work. Rather, we need to put the victims in charge of the fight back and fund their battle.

The climate breakdown will not wait while leaders equivocate. It is already unleashing typhoons and floods on communities, and spreading hunger through crop failures and drought. Only a tiny fraction of climate funding reaches the people battling the worst effects of climate change-they are without the resources needed to protect themselves and their livelihoods, leaving them more vulnerable. Climate injustice is being exacerbated.

Climate action at a global level makes no sense unless it helps protect people on the frontlines of climate change. We need to find ways to quickly and efficiently channel all necessary funding to locally led climate-resilience initiatives. This calls for fresh thinking and a new approach. At COP28, the world needs to double down on adaptation finance. The Loss and Damage Fund must become fully operational so we can respond rapidly and urgently to meet the needs of local communities to rebuild infrastructure and adapt more effectively to climate impacts. This is also a vital step toward climate justice.

Moving from Global to Local

To ensure adaptation finance flows from developed to developing countries double to reach $40 billion by 2025, as pledged at COP26 in Glasgow, finance providers must on average increase annual adaptation flows by at least 16 percent between 2022 and 2025. Yet adaptation finance flows to developing countries declined 15 percent in 2021 to $21.3 billion. That is clearly too little. Yet less than 6 percent of this sum, and perhaps as little as 2 percent, reaches climate-resilience projects led by local communities. Estimates vary due to a lack of properly tracking and reporting money flows-and this needs to improve. But it's also because climate policy and decision-making flows from the top down.

The people who know which towns, streets, fields, and homes are most vulnerable are those who live there. We must encourage and empower them to get together and draw up and implement their own projects to protect themselves against the consequences of climate change.

This is easier said than done. Local communities often lack the time and skills to manage longer-term projects aimed at strengthening climate resilience. They need help and training to draw up project proposals; and to access funding they need basic things such as legally constituted organizations and bank accounts.

Bangladesh has always been a leader in locally led climate adaptation and recently the government has been exploring various ways to channel climate assistance to local communities. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan makes it easier to access low-interest loans for adaptation, has a climate risk fund to train communities and local governments to lead adaptation, expands green banking services, and explores paying communities for ecosystem services.   

Through the Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation in Dhaka, the government is also helping scale up solutions and share best practices with other vulnerable regions of the world. These efforts are already achieving dramatic improvements on the ground.

From Challenges to Opportunities

In Mongla, the second-largest seaport in Bangladesh, the mayor and residents are drawing up a plan to identify economic opportunities in their climate challenges. Like other major cities, Mongla has seen a large influx of climate migrants even as it struggles with rising sea levels-a consequence of global warming-that are contaminating the city's fresh water supplies. Mongla is mapping settlements, identifying key climate vulnerabilities, and developing locally led initiatives. With the support of the U.K. and Canadian governments working through BRAC, an international development agency, and the Global Center on Adaptation, it is hoped that Mongla's People's Adaptation Plans might become a blueprint for other towns and cities adapting to climate change.

This shows us that locally led adaptation is the way forward. But we need to massively scale up these approaches. For that, we need to find ways to finance local communities, without creating undue risk for donors. Strong intermediary organizations can be valuable here to act as a transmission belt to accelerate People's Adaptation Plans into the portfolio of large financiers, including international finance institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

COP28 will only be a success if it achieves real benefits for the communities most affected by the climate crisis. This year's climate summit must ensure that finance flows to the poor communities most affected by climate change, and into locally led, appropriate, and effective adaptation. If we achieve this, the world will have taken a big step toward redressing the gross injustices of climate change.

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Created: 20 November 2023

Canada, November 14, 2023 — The Step to Humanity Association (STHA) has proudly announced the appointment of Delwar Jahid, a distinguished Canadian journalist and academic of Bangladesh origin, as its Executive Director. This significant milestone underscores the organization's unwavering commitment to addressing poverty, crisis response, healthcare access, clean water initiatives, and the empowerment of unemployed women and youth across Asia and Africa.

Bringing a wealth of experience, passion, and expertise to his new role, Delwar Jahid has a lifelong dedication to community support, with his impact recognized on local, national, and international scales in Bangladesh, Europe, and Canada.

Founded in 2016, STHA is a registered charitable organization in Canada, transcending political boundaries to serve the underprivileged and exemplifying a steadfast commitment to humanity.

Delwar Jahid, formerly the president of both the Comilla Press Club and the Comilla Union of Journalists, embarked on his illustrious journalism career as the Editor of the Bengali newspaper "SAMAJKANTHA-VOICE OF SOCIETY" in the eighties. His contributions to national dailies and news agencies garnered recognition in Europe, where he featured prominently across various media platforms for his unyielding commitment to human rights.

Mr. Jahid's diverse background in journalism, academics, and human rights activism equips him with the skills and knowledge needed to address critical issues of inequality and injustice prevalent in society. He has consistently championed causes related to poverty alleviation, access to education and healthcare, and the promotion of mental and physical health through diverse recreational activities, including cultural, sportive, and intellectual pursuits.

Moazzem Hossain, General Secretary of the Board of Directors, expressed, "Delwar Jahid's appointment as Executive Director reflects the organization's dedication to making a lasting impact on the lives of the less fortunate." Dr. Ekram Ul Azim, another member of the Board, added, "His background and expertise align perfectly with our mission, and we are excited to have him at the helm as we continue our work in Asia and Africa." Masud Rana highlighted that Mr. Jahid's leadership will undoubtedly contribute to the further growth and success of the Step to Humanity Association as it strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need.

This appointment signifies a new chapter for STHA, and the organization looks forward to advancing its mission under the capable leadership of Delwar Jahid.

For more information about the Step to Humanity Association and its mission, please visit https://www.steptohumanity.org/.

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Created: 13 November 2023

Step to Humanity Association Commemorates 7th Anniversary with Inaugural Magazine Unveiling

Central Alberta, Canada - November 12, 2023: Step to Humanity Association (STHA), a distinguished charitable organization registered in Canada, celebrated its 7th anniversary with great enthusiasm, culminating in the unveiling of its inaugural magazine titled "STEP TO Humanity." The milestone event was graced by the presence of Dr. Ibrahim Dodo, who presided over the proceedings, and featured keynote speaker Delwar Jahid, Chief Editor and esteemed journalist and academic. Additional addresses were delivered by Vice President Dr. Mujahid Sayed and board directors Moazzem Hussain, Dr. Ekram ul Azim, Masud Rana Sarkar, and Mahfuz Enam.

Dr. Ibrahim Dodo highlighted STHA's significant impact as a beacon of hope for the less fortunate, tirelessly addressing poverty issues, particularly in Asian and African countries. During the magazine's inauguration, he announced it as a landmark achievement for the association and emphasized the strategic plan, which underscores principles such as flexibility, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, all crucial to the organization's mission.

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