By editorial note: Bangladesh and four other countries receive the Local Adaptation
Champions Awards at COP27 in Egypt for their community-led efforts in combating climate
change. The Rangamati Hill District Council initiative in Bangladesh sets a model for climate
adaptation in marginalized areas, providing clean drinking water and promoting gender-inclusive
leadership. The award highlights the importance of locally driven solutions in addressing climate
challenges. – Talukder Tetulia
(This news was published on UNDP’s Bangladesh page on November’ 2022)
Bangladesh wins COP27 award for UNDP-supported community-led initiative
The GCA awards recognize locally led efforts to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change
across four categories: financial governance, inclusive leadership, capacity and knowledge, and
local innovation.
NOVEMBER 13, 2022
Bangladesh and four other countries have been awarded the Local Adaptation
Champions Awards at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
“Our winners show that community-centric and locally led solutions to the climate crisis
exist, but they require support and recognition to be scaled up, and to achieve the most
impact,” said Professor Patrick Verkooijen, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Center
on Adaptation, explaining what the award signifies.
The award was given to the Rangamati Hill District Council initiative where it
collaborated with five villages in Juraichari Upazila where the residents were combatting
worsening droughts, landslides, and flash floods.
With support from United Nations Development Programme and Danida, the community
worked to set up solar power-based safe water supply facilities and the provision of safe
drinking water during crises.
Former UN Secretary General and GCA Co-Chair Ban Ki Moon said, “The initiative is a
combination of local and traditional techniques. It has been done for climate adaptation
at marginalised areas.”
“The initiative is not only sustainable, others can also emulate it and efficiently and
appropriately negate the adverse impacts of climate change,” he added.
“Now communities have clean drinking water and they can water their dragon fruit,
mango and lychee orchards, and cultivate their land for food and income,” said
Arunendu Tripura, Public Relations Officer for Rangamati Hill District Council.
The Council has also established a climate resilience committee and supported local
communities in conducting climate vulnerability assessments, which have fed into the
creation of local resilience plans.
“Also, half of our members are women. I asked them why they chose to install this water
facility, and they said as soon as they were able decide a solution, they chose to end
the misery they face in fetching water, to curb their suffering. This gave me great
satisfaction,” said Tripura.
Jona Chakma, a resident of the remote Choumohani Village of Jurachharhi Upazila,
talks about her suffering before the initiative: “I would walk an hour to fetch water from
Bonjogi Chhorha [stream]. That water would be used for drinking, cooking, washing and
showering needs.”
“During summer, we needed more water. But the stream would shrink. I spent the whole
day just to collect drinking water, bathing was a luxury. I cannot even express the
suffering I went through,” she added.
An earthquake in 2017 hiked the woes by restricting the flow of the stream. It became
harder to collect water. The villages of Choumohani, Badalpara, Lokkhi Member Para,
NK Para and Chairman Para, all roughly 12 kilometres from Juraichari Sadar, were hit
the hardest.
The deep tube-well run by solar power was established in Badalpara and has a 5000-
litre water storage facility. The water is piped to the other villages.
Badalpara village’s Jharna Chakma explains the impact: “Our life has become easier.
The time we spent to get water, we can now spend that in taking care of our children or
income-generating activities like weaving cloth.”
UNDP Assistant Resident Representative Prasenjit Chakma points out that a women-
led committee handle the management of the pump. “The local people, both men and
women are part of this committee. The women lead the process. They have developed
a fund with which they can do the maintenance and repairs of the facility.”
The GCA awards recognize locally led efforts to adapt to the negative impacts of
climate change across four categories: financial governance, inclusive leadership,
capacity and knowledge, and local innovation.
The other three countries to receive the award among 170 countries are India, Nepal
and Kenya.
Each winner will receive €15,000 in funds to further the work they are doing in the spirit
of the locally led adaptation principles. They will also have access to a global network of
changemakers.
