This is all happening in the backdrop of a concern that human rights may be at stake in the text of the agreement. Initiated by Norway and joined by other developed countries, a group had showed reluctance to have ‘human rights’ in the operative section of the agreement. What does it mean for gender equity, inclusiveness, inequality, climate induced displacement? When we are discussing the economic and non –economic, social cultural losses of impacted communities from the vulnerable countries and trying to push for action on the already existing agreements in this relation, it is most unwarranted.

This series presents learning on three development initiatives: Organic Advocacy, Resilience in Char (lands surrounded by river water and detached from the main land) and Women’s Collectives in empowering grassroots women. Organicity of a Grassroots advocacy initiative is the essence of the first learning document in this publication.

Migration ought to be seen as a legitimate and effective method of adapting to climate change and a positive endeavor, not negative. This became the main message to take away from the multilogue in Dhaka jointly organised yesterday (14 November 2015) by ActionAid Bangladesh and Norwegian Refugee Councils, where the research paper ‘Community Resilience and Disaster-related Displacement in South Asia’ was launched.

When any unfortunate natural disaster takes place in the countries where ActionAid works, ActionAid’s makes it a mandate to respond to the disaster immediately. The team that does it is called EFAST. This Emergency First Action Support Team is comprised of a pool of experienced and skilled ActionAid staff from across the ActionAid Federation spread in over 45 countries. As practised, the EFAST members, tied to different areas of humanitarian intervention as per their expertise, are deployed in short notice to assist with emergency support.

It all started with light showers. But the drizzle escalated to downpour in Thanchi and around. This led to flooding in this hilly terrain of Bandarban district – something most of the inhabitants there never experienced. By the time water started to recede after 4 days of heavy rain, the hilly land mass already lost its stability. Several landslides followed affecting people’s houses and roads. And the flooding took away crops and seedbeds.

Md. Mokaddes Litu is a 26 year old graduate student residing in a remote location in Nilphamari district of Bangladesh. Over the past few years, Litu and other young women and men from his community have been engaged in advocacy and lobbying with key decision makers on stopping child marriage and other forms of social injustice, and establishing access to and ownership of land for the marginalised people. The whole range of activity was and a part of ActionAid’s youth network – Activista.

Starting in 2012, young people in Bangladesh joined the millions of young people across the world to participate in surveys and dialogues amongst themselves but also with decision makers to highlighting their priorities.

The UN climate talks in Paris (CoP 21) are an important moment. Climate change is a global problem that needs a global solution – one that recognises the crisis inextricably linked to inequality and poverty, as Pope Francis so eloquently stressed in his recent encyclical. Climate change impacts on the ground are reversing the development gains like never before for the 7.3 billion people of the globe. The achievement of MDGs would have seen much more substantial achievements and would have brought greater positive results without the negative impacts of climate change.

An overview of ActionAid Bangladesh’s activities and interventions of education programme in Bangladesh from 2012 to 2015.

Faridpur city centre, a narrow alleyway draped by a jute curtain separates the normal world from what’s inside. It’s like a portal to another dimension, another world where everything is different. Imagine dark alleyways crowded with men looking to satisfy their libido, and girls and women of all ages standing with heavy makeup making them pale and ghastly as if they died many years ago. No, this is not a brothel from a movie you’ve watched, with all those glitz and glamour, but an eerie network of poorly lit multi-storeyed buildings with small rooms in them. Women stand in front of the doors to greet clients.

Shah Alam comes from the south of Bangladesh, where he fixed river boats for a living. He lived on the banks of a healthy vibrant river. But the waters kept rising and his home collapsed into the river due to erosion. His hope was that the opposite bank of the river would rise and enable him to rebuild across the river – but 25 years later he still can’t return to rebuild his home. He still lives and works by a river. But instead of the clean, fresh water of his home, he now repairs boats on the Buriganga river – a biologically “dead” river in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka. A river with a bed of 10 feet of plastic.

As ActionAid, we work towards a world free of poverty and injustice, and strive to ensure resilience for the most marginalised – particularly for the poor, women and girls – in a disaster-affected world. The World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction currently being held in Sendai, Japan, has a special implication globally in this regard. An ActionAid delegation is here, in Japan, doing all we can to influence the agenda and the outcomes of the conference to ensure adequate support for women’s resilience.