Shama Obaed seeks cost-free climate finance for women

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam asked for predictable, accessible and cost-free finance for gender responsive climate adaptation and resilience at an event titled “Policy to practice: Strengthening Gender-responsive Climate Governance and Finance in Bangladesh”.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the UN Women Bangladesh on Thursday (12 November) at the Bangladesh Pavillion in the Blue Zone of COP31, Antalya, Türkiye. The State Minister attended the event as the Chief Guest.

The event highlighted Bangladesh’s experience, emerging lessons and implementation challenges and gaps, with particular attention to institutional capacity, inter-ministerial coordination, sectoral mainstreaming and gender-responsive climate finance.

It also explored how development partners, international financial institutions and development partners could help strengthen the enabling environment and mobilise resources for country-led climate priorities.

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The State Minister emphasised that safety, mobility and participation must be built into adaptation by design, not added as afterthoughts.

Shama stressed that our initiatives must aim for building cyclone shelters with separate facilities for women and access to reproductive and mental health care.

She advocated that gender-responsive climate action must never be a one-off project; it must become part of how we plan, finance, implement and monitor resilience.

She concluded that when women lead and participate fully, our communities become more resilient and our future becomes more secure.