Staff Correspondent:

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Wednesday urged the global community to strengthen partnerships and cross-sector collaboration to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14 on oceans.

“Only collective action can safeguard marine resources for future generations,” she said.

The adviser made the remarks while virtually addressing a plenary session of the Ocean Decade Fifth Foundations Dialogue – High-Level Roundtable with Ambassadors, Experts, and Practitioners on “Driving Ocean Leadership and Innovation: Advancing Governance, Blue Economy, and Marine Science to Achieve 30×30”, held in Tokyo, Japan.

Rizwana Hasan cautioned about pressing environmental threats as Bangladesh, ranked ninth globally in plastic pollution due to transboundary inflows from upstream countries, continues to suffer from mismanaged waste.

She called for special provisions in the ongoing global plastic treaty negotiations to address the vulnerabilities of geographically exposed countries like Bangladesh.

The adviser highlighted the hazardous shipbreaking industry, describing the Hong Kong Convention as ‘grossly deficient’ in regulating toxic ship dismantling practices that endanger Bangladesh’s coastal environment.

She underlined the Bay of Bengal’s critical role in Bangladesh’s economy, connectivity, and regional cooperation.

She emphasised government initiatives such as the Assessment of Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Resources and Ecosystem project, which developed a national database, conservation management plan, and monitoring protocols in collaboration with leading universities.

Research on sea-level rise and its sectoral impacts has also been completed, underscoring the urgency of protecting coastal communities.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s natural assets—from Cox’s Bazar, the world’s longest unbroken sea beach, to coral islands home to endangered Olive Ridley turtles—she called for greater international cooperation in marine protection and biodiversity conservation.

Rizwana Hasan also pointed to the untapped potential of Bangladesh’s seafood industry, inviting international investment in sustainable seafood processing facilities.

“The threat of sea-level rise is real. If not addressed, one-third of Bangladesh could go underwater, displacing millions in an already overpopulated nation. The same danger confronts 52 small island states worldwide. Global solidarity is imperative,” she warned.

Dr Atsushi Sunami, president of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation; Kristin Iglum, ambassador of Norway to Japan; Prof. Yutaka Michida, chair of UNESCO-IOC; Dr. Saif AlGhais, chair of IOCINDIO Sub-Commission; and Ilana V. Seid, chair and permanent representative of Palau to the UN Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), also spoke at the event.