The government should prepare an index listing the areas vulnerable to climate change to ensure transparent and pro-poor distribution of funds allocated in this sector, a seminar was told here on Sunday.

Speakers at the meeting said the index is needed since all areas of the country are not equally threatened by the adverse effects of climate change.

Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP), in association with Oxfam Bangladesh and the European Union, organised the national dialogue titled, ‘Climate Change Financing: Managing a Transparent and Pro-poor Fund in Bangladesh’ at Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

Chaired by BUP chairman MA Jalil, the discussion was addressed by coordinator of Bangladesh Climate Change Negotiation Team Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, environment specialist of Policy Research and development Initiative Shamsuddoha, additional secretary of Environment Ministry Aparup Chowdhury and climate change specialist Dr Assaduzzaman.

Prof Kholiquzzaman said there is poor coordination among the ministries in implementing the government-run projects including those related to climate change.

He said the Ministry of Environment and Forests is yet to create skilled manpower to manage the climate change projects. “We hope that the ministry will be able to build skilled manpower within this year,” he said.

Kholiquzzaman, also the chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), said PKSF gets only 10 percent of allocation from the Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) to distribute among non-government organizations.

He said PKSF is transparent in the disbursement of the funds.

Shamsuddoha said although the process of fund disbursement from the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) is transparent, the trustee board of the fund is not transparent yet as there are a fewer representatives from the civil society in the board.

He urged the government to reform the trustee board ensuring reasonable representations from the government and civil society in the board to make it transparent and accountable.

Mizanur Rahman Bijoy of Network on Climate Change, Bangladesh made a power-point presentation on climate change situation.