Dec 8, 2025
| Special Correspondent
Civil society, environmentalists and energy experts on Monday said that the future government and all political parties must adopt binding and explicit political commitments on energy issues, which should be incorporate in election manifesto ahead of the 2026 national parliamentary elections.
They have also called for the immediate formulation of a pragmatic, evidence-based National Energy Policy (NEP) to address climate risks and economic vulnerabilities at the concluding day of Bangladesh Energy Conference 2025 at the Bangladesh Military Museum.
Political party's electoral manifesto must clearly and explicitly incorporate citizen's energy agenda, Hasan Mehedi, Secretary of Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) said at the conference placing Citizen's 13-Point Manifesto for Renewable Energy Expansion.
Issuing a statement in this regard, they said given the current national context, expansion of renewable energy is the only viable pathway.
The statements were made on political leaders, including Syed Moazzem Hossain e Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); Hasnat Qayum, President of the State Reform Movement; Nazrul Haque Pradhan, General Secretary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD); Rajequzzaman Ratan, Joint General Secretary of the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD); Manzur Moin, General Secretary (Dhaka South) of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB); Abul Hasan Rubel, Executive Coordinator of the Gonosanghati Andolon; and Sarwar Tushar, Joint Convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP).
The manifesto was read by Monowar Mostafa, Executive Member of the BWDGE.
"Bangladesh spends $12-13 billion annually on electricity imports. We must actively plan pathways to energy self-sufficiency,"Hasan Mehedi said Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Adviser to BNP Chairperson, stated "A just energy transition is no longer theoretical; it is a fundamental political and existential issue for the nation. Unfortunately, bureaucratic complexities often derail political leadership. While global pressures are challenging, they are not insurmountable. National unity is essential to address these crises. The more we exploit nature, the further we drift from a just transition.
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