Fishermen’s rights must take centre in climate talks

Staff Reporter :

Experts have called for urgent prioritisation of fishermen’s human rights in global climate negotiations, warning that coastal communities are among the most vulnerable to the escalating climate crisis.

They stressed that without sustainable initiatives, basic rights to food, health, education, water, housing and cultural practices are being undermined.

The call came at a seminar titled “Road to Belém [COP-30]; Climate Crisis – Fishermen’s Struggle and Civil Society Perspectives”, organised jointly by the COAST Foundation, World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and FIAN International at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka.

In his keynote, COAST Foundation’s MA Hasan highlighted findings from the study “Rising Tides, Shrinking Coasts, and Sinking Rights: Climate Crisis and Struggles of Fishermen”, noting that climate impacts threaten numerous human rights of fishing communities and should be central to climate negotiations.

Moderating the seminar, COAST Foundation Executive Director M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said that the role of fishermen in conserving and managing local aquatic ecosystems must be recognised.

“Our demands are not only about protecting ecosystems but also about human rights, food sovereignty, and the survival of fisherfolk and coastal communities in the face of the climate crisis now and in the future,” he said.

He added that civil society and government bodies must take a strong stance to prioritise the human rights of fishermen, indigenous, and coastal communities at COP-30.

Former Secretary SM Manjurul Hannan Khan emphasised the need for the government to consult climate-vulnerable communities before preparing the national position paper for the Belem Climate Conference.

“If the opinions of affected people are not included, this discussion is meaningless,” he warned.
Abi Abdullah, Director of the Department of Environment, stressed the importance of meaningful participation of fishermen, particularly women, in local and global climate policy discussions and implementation.

Ziaul Haque, CEO of Water Keepers Bangladesh, acknowledged that fishermen’s rights had not received adequate attention in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), but said these issues would be addressed in the NAP review in 2027.
Other speakers highlighted critical challenges facing the fishing community. Md Shamsuddin noted that unplanned infrastructural development is shrinking open water bodies and threatening native fish species.
Sharif Jamil called for urgent reforms in transboundary river management, absent in the Delta Plan-2100.
Fisherman Ashraf Mazi spoke about market access issues, pointing out that the lack of cold storage and transportation forces fishermen to sell to middlemen, depriving them of fair prices.
The seminar brought together government officials, experts, journalists, and fisherfolk representatives, underscoring the need for coordinated action to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of Bangladesh’s coastal communities in the era of climate crisis.