Photo: BSS

RAJSHAHI, June 14, 2026 (BSS) - Speakers at a participatory dialogue here today unequivocally called for building climate-resilient cities for marginalized communities to full-fill their legitimate rights. Utmost emphasis should be given on ensuring fundamental rights of the marginalized populations as they are the integral parts of the society.

Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK), organized the dialogue at the SK Food World Seminar Hall in the city.

In the dialogue, a policy paper titled “Climate-Resilient City for Marginalized Communities: A Policy Paper on Building an Inclusive City through Greening, Urban Agriculture and Just Development” was published.

Ultimate goal of the paper is to improve the living standards of marginalized and slum-dwelling populations in Rajshahi city besides ensuring food and nutrition security, and addressing the risks of climate change.

Metropolitan Agriculture Officer Farzana Haque, Community Development Officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Azizur Rahman, Assistant Engineer of Rajshahi WASA Faruk Ahmed, President of Green Coalition Mahbub Siddiqui and BARCIK Project Coordinator Jahangir Alam addressed the meeting as resource persons.

BARCIK Associate Program Officer Amit Sarkar presented the policy paper. The event was moderated by Associate Program Officer Tahura Khatun Lily, while BARCIK Regional Coordinator Shahidul Islam welcomed the participants.
 
The policy paper was prepared under BARCIK's "Poverty Reduction and Urban Resilience Program," based on field-level research, case studies and household interviews conducted in 14 slums of Rajshahi city. 

The research found that increasing access to urban agriculture, greening, and basic civic services can significantly enhance food and nutrition security, income generation, women's empowerment, social cohesion and climate adaptation capacity. 

The paper recommends incorporating urban agriculture into urban development plans, establishing community nutrition gardens in slums, ensuring safe water, electricity and sanitation, launching women-led greening programs, creating a climate adaptation fund, and formulating participatory urban planning.

Shahidul Islam said safe and climate-resilient housing programs for slum dwellers must be adopted, ensuring their land and housing security

Social protection programs for the urban poor must be expanded, and as part of implementing SDG-11, the effective implementation of the "Right to City" and "Right to Basic Services" principles must be ensured.

He also said community-based climate awareness and capacity-building activities must be conducted so that citizens are better prepared to cope with climate risks