On 28th April, 2026 the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) organized a dissemination workshop on Adaptation Challenges of Climate-linked Migrants in Bangladesh and Locally-led Solutions. On CPRD’s behalf, Shanjia Shams, Research Officer – Gender and Human Rights, joined that workshop. Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, Executive Director of RMMRU presented their research on the adaptation challenges of climate-induced new migrants in urban locations with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). They conducted this study in four cities – Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Jessore and Satkhira with more than 6000 migrants. Every year, a large number of Bangladeshis are also displaced, mostly temporarily, due to the rapid onset of climate change processes. The displaced population uses all types of migration as adaptation pathways. They move within their village, to surrounding villages, district sadars, and mega cities. They migrate temporarily, permanently as well as seasonally. Their investigation found out under what circumstances migration can produce successful adaptation and under what conditions it may result in the precarious urban existence of the affected people. While migration to cities often brings a slight increase in income, the cost of living therein ensures that growth is impossible.
The discussion agreed on a point that we need a holistic, rights-based strategy that treats slum dwellers as citizens, not statistics. There must be a dedicated, long-term development plan specifically designed for slum residents that ensures strict implementation and the protection of basic citizen rights. The government must also prioritize the expansion of secondary cities to decentralize economic opportunities, regional hubs of industry and education. This will create viable alternatives to the capital, reducing the unsustainable influx of migrants and ensuring that financial growth and empowerment reach every corner of the country.
The workshop underscored a critical reality: while migration serves as a vital adaptation pathway for climate-displaced populations, its success is strictly contingent upon a transition from reactive management to rights-based integration. A key takeaway is that the mere movement of people does not equate to successful adaptation if it leads to precarious urban existence characterized by stagnant growth and social exclusion.
As the Chief guest, Mr. Zahir Uddin Swapon, MP, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh acknowledged the issue that migration is not an economic or environmental problem anymore, it’s more than a political problem nowadays. Honorable State Minister from Ministry of Planning, Md. Jonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, MP assured that the government is working on addressing the climatic challenges and will collaborate with relevant stakeholders.
For CPRD, this reinforces the urgency of advocating for the National Strategy on Internal Displacement (2021) and an action plan (2022) to be moved from policy to practice. This requires a multi-sectoral approach where urban planning, budgetary allocations, and the protection of labor rights converge to treat migrants as empowered citizens. If the government incorporates the issue of displacement in its longer term planning as well as in annual budget allocation and different ministries incorporate the voices of urban migrants in their programmes; city planners ensure allocation of space for the service providers of the urban locations; city corporations and municipalities respect the rights of slum dwellers in accessing all relevant urban services, right at work is protected then migration can be a successful adaptation. CPRD, through its research-based advocacy, also ensures that the voices of urban migrants are not just heard but are structurally embedded into the annual budget and long-term development plans of relevant ministries.
The workshop concluded with a brainstorming groupwork session where participants spontaneously engaged in designing a civil society advocacy campaign for supporting low-cost rental housing for climate-induced migrants in accordance with the National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management and its Action Plan. This collaborative action ensures that migration in the face of climate change remains a dignified choice and a sustainable solution, rather than a forced survival tactic.
