On the occasion of the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) held in Katowice, Poland, from 03 December 2018 on, the German Embassy Dhaka organised a “Climate Breakfast” on 03 December 2018. In the framework of a Talanoa Dialogue[1], the six panellists Ms Rizwana Hasan (BELA), Dr Nahid Rezwana (Dhaka University), Dr Sultan Ahmed (Ministry of Environment and Forests), Mr Emdadul Haque (formerly: BEZA), Mr Md. Fazlul Hoque (Plummy Fashions Ltd.) and Mr Md. Nizamul Azim (Rajshahi City Corporation) as well as the nearly 40 invitees were given a voice to share their stories, ambitions and engagements regarding climate change.
H.E. Peter Fahrenholtz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Bangladesh, delivered an opening speech in which he stressed unmistakably that the negative effects of climate change becoming perceptible for more and more people worldwide must immediately be taken seriously and must urgently be fought on a global level.
The discussion among the panellists themselves and among audience and panelists took place in a friendly atmosphere although the opinions of the participants and their bases of information varied significantly. Members of Government and Industry highlighted the progresses that Bangladesh has already achieved to counteract the negative consequences of climate change whereas Civil Society repeatedly claimed that their communities would not yet sufficiently benefit from the efforts by Government and Industry.
“Talanoa“ is a traditional word used across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to build empathy through storytelling and to make wise decisions for the collective good. (UNFCC)