Bangladesh has adopted a 37bn-dollar programme for mitigation of climate change damages along the country’s coastal areas, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Enamur Rahman has said here.

He said this at a COP26 side event organized by the ministry in Glasgow on Thursday afternoon.

Climate change-related incidents displace about 50,000 people every year in Bangladesh, the minister added.

In his speech at the event Enamur said Bangladesh is widely considered as one of the most vulnerable countries to global climate change.

He said inIn 2020 alone 30.7 million people were displaced due to natural disasters.

In 2017 Bangladesh was the 6th most stricken country among 135 countries that experienced displacement due to floods, he said.

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The World Bank’s Groundswell report also estimated that by 2050 19 million people of Bangladesh will be migrating internally due to slow onset climate change processes such as water scarcity, declining crop productivity and sea level rise.

The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) recognizes that displacement has grave implications for the rights and entitlements of the individuals and communities.

Bangladesh has framed its National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management in January 2021.

“I am confident that COP 26 will be able to develop a mechanism for institutionalizing loss and damage,” he said.

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“I am also hopeful that this year's COP will be able to introduce concessional instruments in case of climate finance,” he added.

Natural disasters are increasing in Bangladesh due to climate change, Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Mohammad Mohsin separately told the UNB correspondent covering the event.

He said Bangladesh highlighted the need for international funds to deal with the damages and loss caused by climate change.