Increased investment needed in food, water, air, and nature protection: Rizwana

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, has emphasized the need for increased investment in food security, safe food, clean air, and safe water.

She said that it is urgent to formulate and implement time-befitting policies in these areas.

She made the remark while speaking as the chief guest at the “Bangladesh Sustainability Conclave 2025” held at the Dhaka North City Corporation Auditorium on Saturday. The advisor said, “Bangladesh must transform into a beautiful, fertile, safe, and green country. For that, we must move towards sustainability.”

She stressed that public awareness is the key to sustainable development. Citizens must adopt lifestyle changes and reduce overconsumption. “We must learn from our past mistakes and chart the course for our future,” she added.

Highlighting the importance of people’s voices in environmental protection, the advisor said that the incident of indiscriminate white stone extraction is a clear example of the urgency. She further noted that the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers must be reduced, polythene shopping bags phased out, and reckless use of hills and forests in the name of development stopped.

The advisor also said that proposals for tax incentives will be placed before the government to encourage eco-friendly initiatives. “We have many policies, but the most important task now is their effective implementation,” she asserted.

Mohammad Azaz, Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, presided over the event. Other speakers included Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden, Dhaka; Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh; Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director and CEO, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB); Selim H. Rahman, Chairman, HATIL; Md. Sariful Islam, Head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy, and Media, Oxfam in Bangladesh; and Ahsan Rony, Executive Director, Mission Green Bangladesh.

Speakers at the event observed that for Bangladesh, sustainability is not just a policy but a responsibility for future generations. They emphasized that with collective action from citizens, government, and the private sector, building a sustainable Bangladesh is possible.