Climate-displaced people in Bangladesh raise their voices for support

By Climate Justice Resilience Fund 

In the next few decades Bangladesh is likely to lose more than 10 percent of its land to the sea, and 18 million people could lose their livelihoods and homes.

As a result, many families must relocate from coastal areas. While some people have means to resettle elsewhere, the most vulnerable have nowhere to go and must live where they can, often on public land along the roads atop Bangladesh’s many embankments.

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Since 2012, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) has used rights-based approaches to support climate-displaced people inside Bangladesh. They recognise that existing government programs do not meet climate-displaced peoples’ needs, often because local and national governments do not fully understand the challenges they face or how to support them.

YPSA’s efforts entered a new phase two years ago with support from the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF). YPSA started a comprehensive program including community organising, advocacy, and community-driven planned relocation and resettlement.