Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources of Bangladesh, has called on South Asian nations to rebuild trust, strengthen regional connectivity, and pursue joint action as global disorder becomes the new reality. she stressed that the region must act collectively to confront shared crises such as air and plastic pollution, water insecurity, and escalating climate disasters.

Environment Advisor said this while speaking today as Guest of Honour at the Opening Plenary titled “Sustainable Development in the Emerging World Dis|Order” at the SDPI Annual Conference in Islamabad, Pakistan.

“Environmental protection and development are not alternatives. Sustainability must be at the heart of our future,” she said, urging regional cooperation on river governance, equitable water-sharing, and plastic waste management.

She warned that South Asia is already facing both sudden and slow-onset climate impacts — from historic floods and heat waves to salinity, soil degradation and declining agricultural productivity. Bangladesh alone needs USD 230 billion to implement its National Adaptation Plan, she noted, highlighting a serious gap in global climate finance. “If the funds don’t come, we cannot wait. We must act nationally and regionally,” she asserted.

Describing the conference theme as “profound and timely,” the Environment Advisor said the world is witnessing instability at every level — global, regional, and domestic. “The rule-based international order is in crisis. Multilateralism is losing ground. Inequality, geopolitical rivalry, and climate change are reshaping our world,” she observed.

She pointed to rising public discontent across South Asia — from Sri Lanka to Nepal — as evidence that existing governance models are failing to meet people’s needs. Yet she expressed optimism in the new generation: “They are informed, connected, and not easily deceived. They are already reshaping the future order.”

The plenary was also attended by Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning, Government of Pakistan; Mohamed Yahya, UN Resident Coordinator, Pakistan; Prof. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, IGES, Japan; High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Md. Iqbal Hussain Khan, ndc; Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairperson, SDPI; Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI; and Dr. Irshad Ahmad Arshad of AIOU.