Desk Report:
Bangladesh’s coastal areas are among the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. A three-day photography exhibition ‘Voice of Coastal Climate Resilience’ has begun in the capital to showcase the stories of coastal women’s leadership, adaptive capacity, life struggles and community-based initiatives to address this crisis.
The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Gender-Responsive Coastal Adaptation (GCA) project, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and the Government of Bangladesh, was held at 2:30 pm on Thursday (21 May 2026) at Drik Gallery in Panthapath, Dhaka.
The exhibition showcases various aspects of the lives and struggles of women in different coastal regions of Bangladesh through photographs. The exhibition focuses on their adaptation strategies, alternative livelihoods, water management, social leadership and local level initiatives to address salinity, cyclones, river erosion and livelihood challenges caused by climate change.
According to the organizers, the role of women in addressing the climate crisis often remains hidden, yet women are playing a vital role in the struggle for the survival of families and communities in coastal areas. One of the objectives of the event is to bring their experiences and capabilities to the fore and raise public awareness about women-led climate adaptation.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Sheikh Faridul Islam, State Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Muhammad Abdul Hai Al Mahmud (Additional Secretary), National Project Director of the Project on Strengthening the Adaptation Capacities of Coastal Communities, Especially Women, to Address Climate Change-Induced Salinity (GCA); UNDP Bangladesh Assistant Resident Representative and Head of Resilience and Inclusive Growth Cluster Sardar M Asaduzzaman; and UNDP Bangladesh Head of Communication Department Md. Abdul Qayyum, among others.
The organizers said that the exhibition will be open to visitors from 3 pm to 8 pm daily from May 21 to 23 at the Drik Gallery (Level-2), Drikpath Bhaban in the capital. The exhibition is displaying about 85 still images captured by photographer A.B. Rashid. Along with the live exhibition, it has also been organized on a virtual platform.
It is worth noting that the GCA project, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and the Government of Bangladesh, is working to increase climate resilience and adaptation capacity, especially among women, in coastal areas. The project is playing a role in strengthening safe water, livelihoods and women-led adaptation initiatives of communities affected by the impact of climate change.
