Oct 13, 2025
| Senior Correspondent
The Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) was honored for its historic campaign.
The three-day 3rd South Asia Just Transition Alliance (SAJTA) Summit 2025 concluded on Monday with a powerful celebration of grassroots leadership and people’s power as four courageous representatives from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were honored with the Just Transition Award 2025 for their extraordinary commitment to defending communities, ecosystems, and climate justice.
The Just Transition Award recognises outstanding grassroots movements and civil society campaigns that challenge destructive fossil fuel–based energy projects and pave the way for fair, inclusive, and sustainable energy transitions across South Asia. This year’s award was conferred to four groundbreaking campaigns that represent the strength and resilience of people-led movements in the region.
The Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) was honored for its historic campaign against the Matarbari 635 MW Coal Power Plant in Bangladesh, a symbol of community resistance against fossil fuel expansion. The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) from Sri Lanka was recognised for its bold stand against Adani’s Mannar Wind and Solar Power Plant.
The Indus Consortium from Pakistan received the award for its inspiring rooftop solar campaign, which offers a people-centred alternative to fossil fuel dependency. From India, the Karbi Anglong Solar Power Project Affected People’s Rights Committee was honored for its courageous resistance to the ADB-financed Assam Solar Project and its defense of community rights.
Tauhedul Islam Shahazada from Bangladesh, Janaka Withanage from Sri Lanka, Hussain Jarwar from Pakistan, and Vidya Dinker from India received the awards on behalf of their communities.
“These awardees are not just campaigners; they are defenders of people’s rights and the planet’s future. Their movements show that a just transition must be led by communities—not corporations,” said Hasan Mehedi, Chief Executive of Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) during the ceremony.
The award ceremony was graced by distinguished guests, including Petra Kjell Wright, Gouranga Nandy, and SP Udaykumar, alongside more than 50 grassroots leaders, campaigners, and experts from across the region.
Over three days (October 11-13, 2025), the summit provided a crucial platform for discussing pressing issues such as fossil gas expansion, just transition frameworks, community-led renewable energy systems, combating misinformation in the energy sector, and building stronger regional solidarity.
The SAJTA Summit 2025 reaffirmed the power of collective action and community-led climate solutions. It underscored the urgent need to shift away from fossil fuel dependence and invest in people-centred renewable energy pathways to ensure a just, inclusive, and equitable energy transition across South Asia.
The South Asia Just Transition Alliance (SAJTA) is a regional civil society platform dedicated to advancing sustainable, community-driven energy solutions and resisting harmful large-scale infrastructure projects that threaten people and nature. It brings together movements, researchers, and policymakers to shape a fossil-free, just, and equitable energy future for the region.
News Link: Four South Asian organisations get Just Transition Award