Md. Ohidur Rahman from Netrokona
Due to climate change migration, resource conflict and displaced communities have increased now a days. The climate induced disasters have arisen conflicts among communities and other life forms on this earth. Thus, it has been observed that conflict among youths, farming families, fishermen, coastal people and people in the Barind tract has increased compared to the past. Number of people migrated to towns and cities in search of livelihoods as well. However, there is need to resolve the conflict and build resilience of the people and the youths can take a lead role in this purpose. From this backdrop, BARCIK has organized a five-day training workshop for the youths of different areas on Climate Change, Conflict, Transformation and resilience building recently in Netrakona.
The training workshop was inaugurated by Syed Ahmed Khan, President, Netrakona District mass people’s organization coordination committee. Yogesh Chandra Das, founder of the Fisheries Museum attended as special guest of the workshop. Encouraged and potential youths from Satkhira, Rajshahi, Netrakona, Manikganj and Dhaka districts participated in this workshop.
However, BARCIK’s director and researcher Pavel Partha and coordinator Zahangir Alam of BARCIK facilitated the 5-day workshop. The youths who came to participated described and highlighted the climatic problems, conflicts and resilience as well as adaptation initiatives of their perspective areas. They also mentioned some cases of of youth conflicts, climatic conflicts, cultural conflicts, direct conflicts, infrastructural conflicts in each of their perspective areas.
On behalf of BARCIK Netrakona Region, the youths from all parts of BARCIK were welcomed. The regional coordinator of BARCIK Mr. Ohidur Rahman delivered welcoming speech asking the participants to attentively participate in the workshop and share their views. The facilitator described and discussed climate, climate change, impact of climate change, disasters, adaptations, resilience, nature, climate justice, environment, climate change-conflict, conflict-peace, ways to resolve climate change, and the role of youth in resolving crises in the workshop with different examples and visual illustrations.
There were question and answer session, group work, presentation on PowerPoint, drama on conflict in tackling climate change disaster, adaptation strategy of disaster in Haor area of Madan Upazila during the workshops. The skit was acted by the youths from different regions to depict the climate created conflict in their areas. Besides, in these 5 days activities such as exchange of views with journalists, stories of adaptation techniques from the people of Haor, knowledge of climate change through painting, and feedback of villagers were organized which gave knowledge and better understanding to the participants.
In addition, area-wise plan of actions on climate change, conflict, transformation and resilience building are developed during the workshop. The workshop concluded by certificate giving ceremony and exchange of flower and sketch sketched by the participants to the youths from Satkhira, Manikgonj and Rajshahi by the youths from Netrakona on behalf of the Netrokona region’s youths.
Translated by Silvanus Lamin
