Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Honored as Asia Climate Mobility Champion

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has been honored with the Asia Climate Mobility Champion Leader Award, a prestigious recognition for her leadership and advocacy in addressing climate change and its impacts on vulnerable communities.

This award, presented by the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, highlights her significant contributions to the global climate discourse.

The award ceremony took place on the sidelines of the COP28 event in Dubai, where Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, leading the Bangladesh delegation, received the award on behalf of Prime Minister Hasina.

The event was co-hosted by UN General Assembly President Ambassador Dennis Francis and IOM Director General Amy Pope.

During the high-level panel discussion titled “Harnessing Climate Mobility for Adaptation and Resilience,” Minister Hasan Mahmud emphasized Bangladesh’s efforts under Prime Minister Hasina’s leadership to combat climate change.

He highlighted the construction of the world’s largest multi-storied social housing project in Cox’s Bazar, aimed at rehabilitating 4,400 families displaced due to climate impacts.

Hasan Mahmud also stressed the importance of integrating the issue of climate mobility into the global climate change conversation. Bangladesh has been proactive in this area, hosting two dialogues in collaboration with IOM in Dhaka and Sharm El Sheikh last year.

The country’s efforts have contributed to forming a broad coalition of UN member states focused on this issue.

The Asia Climate Mobility Champion Leader Award is not only a significant international acknowledgment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s work but also a testament to Bangladesh’s ongoing advocacy in addressing climate mobility and related challenges.

Other countries, including Botswana, Suriname, and Palau from Africa and the Pacific, were also recipients of this award.

The Global Centre for Climate Mobility works alongside the United Nations system, regional intergovernmental organizations, and development finance institutions to find cooperative and comprehensive solutions to climate mobility issues.

During COP27, the award was given to five African heads of state and government as Climate Mobility Champion Leaders, underlining the global nature of this initiative.

This recognition of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina underscores the critical role of leadership in tackling the complex challenges posed by climate change, particularly in supporting vulnerable populations affected by climate-induced displacement and mobility.