Bangladesh will receive 191 million euros from Germany in the form of financial and technical assistance for the country’s sustainable development.
Following up on the pledges of the last government negotiations in December 2022, the Governments of Bangladesh and Germany today signed two bilateral agreements on development cooperation.
According to a press release, the agreements have a total value of 191 million euros (about 2215 crore taka), of which 55 million euros would be made available for technical cooperation (TC) and 136 million euros for financial cooperation (FC).
The agreements were signed on behalf of the two governments by Jan Janowski, Charge d’Affaires par intérim of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangladesh, and Sharifa Khan, Secretary, Economic Relations Divisions.
High-ranking representatives from the Bangladeshi government, the German embassy in Dhaka, and the principal implementing agencies within the German Development Cooperation—namely, GIZ for technical cooperation and KfW for financial cooperation—all attended the signing ceremony.
The programs in Cox’s Bazar support the Host and Displaced Communities as well as the Green and Just Energy Transition, Sustainable Urban Development, Sustainable Supply Chains, Biodiversity, and Women’s Empowerment.
The projects under the technical cooperation agreement are 1. Policy Advisory for Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, up to 4 million euro, 2. Energy Efficiency and Grid Integration of Renewable Energy II, up to 2 million euro, 3. Advanced Vocational Training and Promotion of Employment for Female Textile Workers, up to 5 million euro, 4. Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Development, up to 7 million euro, 5. Professional Education in Industrial and Environmental Safety, up to 7 million euro, 6. Innovations for Climate-Smart Urban Development, up to 7 million euro, 7. Programme for Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector II, up to 5 million euro, 8. Vocational Training in the Field of Renewable Energy, up to 5 million euro, 9. Supporting the Localisation of National Climate Adaption Targets, up to 3 million euro, 10. Socio-Economic Support for Host and Displaced Communities in Cox’s Bazar, up to 5 million euro and 11. Strengthening the National Network of Protected Areas in Bangladesh through Advancing Digital Technology, Citizen Science, Fostering Participation of Women and Youth Involvement and Enhancing Inter-Department Cooperation, up to 5 million euro.
The two projects covered by the Financial Cooperation Agreement are Phase V of the Climate Change Adapted Urban Development Programme (UCRIP II), with a maximum budget of 114.5 million euros (including a 100 million euro preferential loan), and Phase VI of Climate Change Adapted Urban Development, with a maximum budget of 21.5 million euros.
Since 1972, Germany has provided Bangladesh with financial and technical support totaling more than 3 billion euros for its growth.
German-Bangladesh Development Cooperation has a long history of supporting infrastructure, poverty alleviation, good governance, and the transition to renewable energy sources. More recently, it has also supported the Rohingya and host communities in the Cox’s Bazar district.
The current agreements represent a continuation of fruitful bilateral collaboration and will help to advance the SDGs and the Paris Agreement’s climate goals. Through three windows/institutions—GIZ, KfW Development Bank, and BGR—the Federal Republic of Germany conducts its technical and financial cooperation efforts in Bangladesh.
The German Embassy in Bangladesh has a narrow focus on certain institutions. At present, 23 (twenty three) projects are being sponsored (loan and grants) by the German government, amounting a total contribution of EUR 452.5 million loan and EUR 161.054 million grant.
Another agreement for technical collaboration on the project of “Strengthening Access to Justice and Legal Reforms (SAJLeR)” was signed today between Bangladesh and Germany.
The project, which would be carried out by the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, has a total budget of 12.422 million euros.
The project’s goal is to ensure that the judicial sector adopts innovative reform strategies so that more people in Bangladesh, particularly the underprivileged, women, and children, may access trustworthy, effective, and efficient legal services.
