UNESCO Centre staff invited to speak at Climate Action conference in Bangladesh

UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science academics Professor John Rowan (Director) and Dr Nandan Mukherjee (Climate and Adaptation Lead) were invited speakers (keynote) and moderator, respectively at the “Regional Dialogue on Private Sector Engagement in Climate Action” in Bangladesh, held on 20 June 2023 Hotel Sonargaon in the national capital Dhaka.

This event was organised by the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and was designed to launch the findings of three studies exploring the challenges faced by the private sector in responding to climate impacts in Bangladesh and the manner these challenges limit their capacity to engage and invest in climate adaptation actions. 

Both Dr Mukherjee and Professor Rowan are recognised experts in climate change, adaptation and resilience planning – primarily in relation to environment-society interactions – and so both were invited to participate in this event which coincided with the Centre’s project work and evolving collaboration with academic, government and civil-society partners.

Professor Rowan provided insights to approaches to accelerate innovations in climate technology, develop financial instruments, and establish new business models for the private sector drawing international examples and experience from the UK. Dr Mukerjee, exceptionally well networked and experienced across many climate change action activities in Bangladesh provided the anchor role facilitating discussion panels and question and answer sessions from the audience of around 80 businesspeople, private sector representatives (e.g. agriculture, fisheries, forestry) and more widely from civil society. 

Both were in Bangladesh completing the Centre’s ‘Dream Home’ disaster-resilient net zero house project, involving collaboration with the C3ER, BRAC University and Resilience Solutions (social enterprise) with whom UNESCO CWLPS has been collaborating since 2016.