Food security must go hand in hand with climate resilience, eco-friendly agriculture: Shama Obaed
The state minister also urged sustained international support for Rohingya food assistance and sought closer collaboration with the World Food Programme on nutrition, social protection and sustainable agriculture.
Highlights:
- Shama Obaed links food security with climate resilience
- Calls for sustained support for Rohingya food assistance
- WFP praised for nutrition and school meals programmes
- Bangladesh seeks backing for Family Card initiative
- Both sides pledge stronger cooperation on SDGs
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said food security must go hand in hand with environmentally sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, calling for stronger collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) to address hunger and support Bangladesh's development priorities.
She made the remarks during a meeting with Coco H Ushiyama, resident representative and country director of the WFP in Bangladesh, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday (27 July).
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During the meeting, Shama Obaed expressed appreciation for the WFP's longstanding partnership with Bangladesh and its support for food security, nutrition, social protection and humanitarian assistance.
She also thanked the UN agency for its continued assistance to the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), commonly known as the Rohingyas, who are temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh despite growing resource constraints.
The state minister called for sustained international support to ensure uninterrupted food and nutrition assistance for the Rohingya population.
She also praised the WFP's contribution to Bangladesh's School Meals Programme and stressed the importance of strengthening national capacity to enhance food security.
Highlighting the government's priorities, Shama Obaed said Bangladesh is promoting environmentally sustainable agriculture alongside a nationwide tree plantation campaign to strengthen climate resilience.
She sought the WFP's support for government initiatives within the organisation's operational mandate, including the Family Card Programme, and called for enhanced cooperation to help Bangladesh achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the stipulated timeframe.
During the meeting, Ushiyama said the WFP is working to tackle the underlying causes of hunger and the increasing vulnerabilities climate change poses to agriculture, food security and nutrition, particularly among women and children.
She outlined the agency's ongoing programmes in Khulna Division and Habiganj, as well as its work on social safety nets, climate resilience, disaster management and earthquake preparedness.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Bangladesh-WFP partnership to improve food security and advance sustainable development, with the shared goal of building a more secure, climate-resilient and prosperous Bangladesh.
