The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance, and the Green Climate Fund, yesterday signed a new project that will strengthen Bangladesh’s response to climate change.

FAO will provide technical assistance to support the project what will help the government tap into international climate change finance and promote international environmental standards. The agreement was signed by Nahid Rashid, Additional Secretary (UN) of ERD, and Robert D. Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh.

“This project will provide the resources and development training that could open the door to many millions of dollars of extra finance to fund climate change projects that will make people’s everyday environment cleaner and greener. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to slow climate change also reduces air pollutants, improving the quality of the air that we all breathe”, said Robert. D Simpson. “The project demonstrates FAO’s continued commitment to work with the Government of Bangladesh to foster climate resilient growth”, he added.

The two-year project, ‘Strengthening Bangladesh’s National Designated Authority Secretariat, Enhancing Pipeline Implementation and Private Sector Engagement in Effective Climate Action’, will help the ERD focus on priority areas and develop high quality climate change projects that leverage private sector investment.

In 2014, the government nominated ERD as the national designated authority (NDA) to liaise with the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The NDA seeks to ensure that activities supported by GCF align with national objectives and priorities. GCF is a unique global platform to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. GCF was established by 194 governments to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries, and to help vulnerable societies adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Given the urgency and seriousness of this challenge, GCF is mandated to make an ambitious contribution to the united global response to climate change.

Bangladesh is a relatively small contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions but is exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. Devastating floods, cyclones and other environmental disasters linked to climate change already affect millions of Bangladeshis every year. Bangladesh has shown great commitment to climate governance and has ratified the Paris Agreement. (The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat and adapt to climate change, with enhanced support to assist developing countries).

FAO is helping Bangladesh to track its climate action though the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) project, which is implemented jointly with the Department of Environment (DoE) with financial assistance from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as well as through the Building Climate Resilient Livelihood in Vulnerable Landscapes in Bangladesh project, that is also supported by GEF.