Climate Budget: Form joint taskforce to monitor disbursement: speakers

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday said a taskforce should be formed to monitor disbursement of the government’s climate budget.

The joint monitoring taskforce can be comprised of different ministries, government and non-government organisations, civil society, academics and journalists, they said.

ActionAid Bangladesh and International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) jointly arranged the roundtable on “Bangladesh Climate Budget FY2019-2020: A CSO Analysis and Reflection” at The Daily Star Centre.

For 2019-20 fiscal, the government has allocated Tk 23,748.53 crore as “climate budget” for 25 ministries and divisions, according to a handout provided at the roundtable.

This climate budget is 7.81 percent of total allocation for the ministries and divisions, which received a cumulative allocation of 58.11 percent of the national budget, says the handout, referring to data from the government’s “Climate Financing for Sustainable Development: Budget Report 2019-20”.  

In 2015-16 fiscal, the government allocated Tk 12,163.36 crore as “climate budget”, it says.

Addressing the roundtable, ICCCAD Director Saleemul Huq said the taskforce can generate feedback each year. In doing so, it can play an important role in making future climate budgets more transparent.

It can also help increase the country’s capability in understanding climate change and its impacts, he said, adding those who are involved in preparing the government’s climate budget need to understand climate change in-depth.

“Not everything is about climate change,” he said, adding that sea-level rise and saline intrusion are impacts of climate change.

On the other hand, disasters like cyclone, flood and drought are natural phenomena but can intensify and occur more frequently due to climate change, he further said.

ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir said besides the government’s climate budget, there is a need to know how much the non-government sector spends on climate change-related initiatives each year.

A paper can be produced to this end, she said, moderating the session.

The government’s investment on infrastructure development should be validated scientifically to ensure that those infrastructures will be climate adaptive, said Practical Action Bangladesh Country Director Hasin Jahan.

M Khalid Mahmood, joint secretary (planning and development) of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, said they conduct impact analysis and necessary research first before undertaking any plan -- whether it is related to climate change or not.

The government has increased its investment on climate change-related initiatives over the years and is trying to reduce a gap between its efforts and emergence of climate change impacts, he said.