Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber
Hossain Chowdhury today said the France-Bangladesh Adaptation Pact, which
will be signed between the two countries, will create a robust partnership in
addressing urgent climate challenges.
“This collaborative effort aims to expedite Bangladesh’s adaptation
strategies while securing additional funding for climate resilience
projects,” he said while a delegation, led by French Ambassador in Dhaka
Marie Masdupuy, met him at Bangladesh Secretariat here.
During the meeting, they focused on finalising the France-Bangladesh
Adaptation Pact while the ministry proposed resource allocation aligned with
national priorities.
The timeline for the pact is set from September 2023 to August 2028. The
French delegation expressed willingness to align interventions with
Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) during the implementation phase,
a ministry press release said.
The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry of Bangladesh will submit
project concep
ts under the ‘Ecosystem, Wetland and Biodiversity’ sector of
the NAP to access initial funding.
The French Development Agency, Agence FranOaise de D,veloppement (AFD), has
requested the ministry’s formal project request to secure the first tranche
of pound 4 million for 2024.
The meeting highlighted projects aimed at restoring and protecting the
Sundarbans, including mangrove plantation and community-based forest fire
management.
The French government, through AFD, is offering a climate policy loan support
of pound 300 million. The ministry stressed the need for technical support to meet
specific indicators, particularly those related to the Enhanced Transparency
Framework.
In September 2023, during his historical visit to Bangladesh, French
President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would sign an agreement
with Bangladesh to finance climate-change adaptation and loss and damage in
the first half of 2024.
The French Development Agency will be contributing pound 1 billion ($1.1 billio
n)
in investment, and the IMF will be extending up to $1 billion worth of SDRs
(Special Drawing Rights) in new loans, Macron said.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha