Civil society organisations call for cancellation of Mujib’s climate prosperity plan and reform of the climate change trust law

A coalition of 39 civil society organisations under the banner of Climate Justice Alliance-Bangladesh today (September 7) called for the cancellation of the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP) 2022-2041, which they said was formulated in an undemocratic process and designed solely to implement the political ambitions of the then government.

They also demanded radical reform of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) and the Climate Change Trust Fund Act 2010 to prevent syndicated corruption in funding decisions and their implementation.

The alliance made these demands at a press conference at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Auditorium of the National Press Club in Dhaka.

The alliance, which often raises critical concerns about a rights-based policy response to the impacts of climate change, appreciates the current caretaker government’s intention on structural reform that would ensure justice and equitable development across all sections of society.

As part of a broader reform agenda, the alliance stressed the urgent need to review, expand and reform existing climate plans and policies to ensure they are fair and equitable. It challenged the undemocratic practices of the planning process dominated by the “syndicated interests” of the political government, its allied bureaucrats and elite consultants. It labelled existing plans and policies as undemocratic and demanded the immediate closure of all avenues of corruption in their implementation.

Md Shamsudohha, Coordinator of Climate Justice Alliance-Bangladesh, provided a brief overview of the political economy context of the development of the country’s major climate plans, which include the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP) 2022-2041, the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2023-2050, the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) up to 2030, etc.

He also explained how Bangladesh’s Climate Change Trust Fund, funded by the country’s revenues, has turned into a catastrophic example of political domination and syndicated corruption, supported by the immunity of the Climate Change Trust Fund Act.

Professor Ahmed Kamruzzaman Mazumder from Stamford University, Md Nasir Uddin Faruk, Deputy Executive Director of Shushilan, and Tamanna Rahman, Thematic Lead for Climate and Resilience at Practical Action, among others, also spoke at the event.