Supporting Climate and Disaster Risk Financing at Community Level and Needed Devolution of Power at Local Government Institutions in Bangladesh

Although Bangladesh contributes a very small part of global emissions but most affected by extreme climate conditions due to its geographic location and flat, low-lying topography. As per the Disaster Management Act, 2012, the local government in Bangladesh is authorized to play a crucial role for disaster management and adaptation to climate change. Among tiers of Local Government Institutes (LGIs), the Union Parishad (UP) is the lowest tier of the local government’s elected body, which has direct connection with the local community for providing services at the local level and has wider acceptance at the local community. However, this century old organization could not play its expected role for the disaster preparedness and adaptation activities and other services as per need in face of the adverse effects of climate change due to a lack of funds and manpower.

The study found that most of the government funds relating to climate change and disaster management are controlled by different government departments, while a tiny fraction of the fund can be reached at the local level from the Annual Development Plan (ADP) of the government budget as the planning process is centralized and those planning processes hardly consider the needs of the local government. Again, donor supported projects are time-bound; they lack the needed long term coordinated support. Again, donors have their own priorities and areas of interest for bilateral support for technical assistance, capital, and aid. The study argues that money should not be halted at the hands of central government; rather, a substantial proportion of the funding directly should be made available to local government institutions to support grassroots climate and disaster risk financing purposes. Again, donor’s need to consider the specific needs of the local community regarding climate and disaster risks rather than their own agenda.