Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today stressed the need for public awareness for sustainable development, saying that citizens must adopt lifestyle changes and reduce overconsumption.

"We must learn from our past mistakes and chart the course for our future," she said while addressing the "Bangladesh Sustainability Conclave 2025" at the Dhaka North City Corporation Auditorium in the capital, according to a press release.
 
Rizwana, also the adviser of the ministry of Water Resources, emphasized the need for increased investment in food security, clean air, and safe water.

She said that it is urgent to formulate and implement time-befitting policies in these areas.

She added, "Bangladesh must transform into a beautiful, fertile, safe, and green country. For that, we must move towards sustainability."

Highlighting the importance of people's voices in environmental protection, the adviser said that the incident of indiscriminate white stone extraction is a clear example of the urgency.

She continued that the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers must be reduced, polythene shopping bags phased out, and reckless use of hills and forests in the name of development must be stopped.

The adviser also said proposals for tax incentives will be placed before the government to encourage eco-friendly initiatives. "We have many policies but the most important task now is their effective implementation," she said.

Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Azaz presided over the event.

Other speakers included First Secretary and Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka Nayoka Martinez-B„ckstr”m, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir, Managing Director and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Chairman of Hatil Selim H. Rahman, Head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy and Media at Oxfam in Bangladesh Md. Shariful Islam, and Executive Director of Mission Green Bangladesh Ahsan Rony.