The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) to tackle the impacts of climate change on fisheries and livestock, strengthen institutional capacity and tap international climate finance. The MoU was signed on Sunday, 20 September, in the ministry's conference room in Dhaka.

Joint Secretary Beby Rani Karmakar of the ministry's International Organisations and Cooperation wing signed for the government, and Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadeque Ahmed, research and policy adviser at ICCCAD, signed for the centre. Ministry Secretary Md Delwar Hossain presided.

Under the agreement, ICCCAD will help the ministry and its departments and research institutes build climate-change expertise for both domestic and international work. It will also support the drafting of projects for the fisheries and livestock sector and the pursuit of financing from the Green Climate Fund and other international funders.

The two sides will work to mainstream climate considerations into the ministry's policies, programmes and activities through technical assistance and institutional capacity building, and to strengthen Bangladesh's participation and leadership in international forums and policy dialogues. ICCCAD will also train ministry officials for the UN climate conferences (COP).

Salinity along the coast, erratic rainfall and heat stress are putting fish farming and livestock rearing under growing pressure; the ministry expects the pact to open a route to foreign funding for adaptation in the sector.

Also present were Md Mir Hossain of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation, Additional Secretary Nilufa Akter, Department of Fisheries Director General Dr Md Khaled Kanak, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Director General Dr Md Latiful Islam, Dr Md Habibur Rahman, chief of the planning and evaluation cell at the Department of Livestock Services, and ICCCAD Managing Director Saqib Huq. The report is from the Krishi Shomoy desk.

Source: Krishi Shomoy