At National Seminar, YOUCAN Demands Climate Accountability and Real Policy Seats from PM Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir

DHAKA — Young Climate Action Network (YOUCAN) is pleased to share that our Founder and Executive Director, Yudhishtir Chandra Biswas, participated as a distinguished Youth Panelist Speaker at the national seminar titled “The Necessity of Integrated Initiatives in Building a Climate-Resilient Bangladesh.”

Held at the Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), the high-level seminar was jointly organized by Brotee Samaj Kallyan Sangstha and NIRAPAD Alliance. The event brought together senior policymakers, development experts, civil society leaders, and youth climate advocates to map out integrated pathways for Bangladesh’s climate resilience.

The seminar was chaired by Sharmeen S. Murshid, Founder and CEO of Brotee, and graced by Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser for Finance and Planning to the Prime Minister, who attended as the Chief Guest.

YOUCAN Demands Shift from “Tokenism” to Real Policy Power

During the critical youth panel discussion, YOUCAN Executive Director Yudhishtir Chandra Biswas took the floor to address the systemic gaps in current climate frameworks. He raised pressing concerns regarding:

Accountability in Climate Governance: Ensuring transparent utilization of local and international climate funds.
Structured Coordination: The urgent need for a formalized, multi-stakeholder bridge connecting the government, civil society, and youth networks.
Genuine Youth Inclusion: Moving decisively away from superficial, tokenistic youth engagement and instead positioning young people as active, co-designing policymakers for national strategies.

PM Adviser Echoes Need for Rigorous Coordination

Responding directly to the points raised during the youth panel, Chief Guest Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir acknowledged the livelihood and employment uncertainties facing today’s youth. He emphasized that the government is actively shifting toward an economic model focused on establishing rights and building a discrimination-free Bangladesh.

The Adviser announced that before accepting any future foreign loans or launching development projects, four strict criteria must be guaranteed: Value for Money, Return on Investment, Job Creation, and Environmental Sustainability. He further outlined upcoming structural overhauls, including a massive transition toward eco-friendly technologies, domestic production of electric transit (buses and locomotives), and a 5-year integrated development plan for the Haor-Baor regions.

Top Experts Call for Local Innovation and Global Justice

The seminar featured powerful insights from veteran leaders, underscoring the daily realities of climate displacement and the economic steps required to survive them:

“The impact of climate change on the people of Bangladesh is not a future anxiety; it is a daily reality manifested in river erosion, displacement, and the feminization of poverty.” — Sharmin S. Murshid, Founder & CEO of Brotee

Farida Akhter (Former Interim Government Adviser) stressed that while technology and AI are helpful tools, real solutions must prioritize the lived, field-level experiences of grassroots farmers over unplanned development models.
Fauzia Karim Firoze (Chairperson of Brotee) pushed for leveraging social accountability and local partnerships to allow communities to progress using their own inherent capacities.
M. S. Siddiqui & Sharif Jamil (Dharitri Rokshay Amra) highlighted that Bangladesh must break its singular reliance on foreign funding by building a green domestic economy focused on waste upcycling, while simultaneously driving integrated policy changes across national, regional, and international tiers.

YOUCAN’s Ongoing Commitment

The event also saw valuable contributions from other youth climate leaders, including Fariha Omi (Brighters Foundation), Tahmidur Rahman (Nirapad Alliance), and Jubayer Islam (Climate Frontier).

As Bangladesh navigates this critical transition toward green industrialization and integrated water management, YOUCAN remains fiercely committed to advancing youth-led climate action. We will continue to push boundaries to ensure that the young people of Bangladesh are not merely onlookers to climate policy, but the very hands shaping our national decision-making processes.