Govt inks deal with UNDP to implement climate change project

Bangladesh government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today signed an agreement to implement a six- year climate change project in the country.

ERD Secretary Monowar Ahmed, Additional Secretary of Women and Children Affairs Ministry Mahmuda Sharmeen Benu and UNDP Resident Representative Sudipto Mukerjee signed the deal on behalf of their respective sites at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) here, a UNDP press release said.

The US$ 33 million project titled, ‘Enhancing adaptive capacities of
coastal communities, especially women, to cope with climate change- induced salinity’ will benefit almost 7 lakh people from the disaster-prone Satkhira and Khulna districts with a focus on women and adolescent girls.

This is first of its kind project in Bangladesh. The Ministry of Women and
Children Affairs will provide US$ 8 million in implementing the project while the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is giving the rest of the amount.

Attending the signing ceremony, Sudipto Mukerjee said, “The project will
limit the impact of climate change as much as possible so that Bangladesh’s commitment to attain the Sustainable Development Goals is smooth, leaving no one behind”.

He stressed bringing transformative changes in the lives of marginalised women through this project to set an example for other countries.

Monowar Ahmed said: “The government is committed to building a climate resilient Bangladesh and this project will particularly help women and girls fight climate change”.

“The project will enhance the leadership capacity of women to fight
climate change. The girls will learn new skills for adaptation,” Mahmuda
Sharmeen Benu said.

Earlier, UNDP Climate Change Specialist Mamunur Rashid highlighted the
summary of the project.

ERD Additional Secretary Sultana Afroz and Chief Engineer of Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) Md Saifur Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion.