Dhaka, Dec 27, 2018 (BSS) – The 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.