Context
In Bangladesh, climate change is one of the greatest future risks. Already today, the effects of climate change threat sustainable development. Due to the loss of arable land and properties due to climate change, an increasing number of people is forced to move from rural areas to the major cities seeking for alternative livelihoods. Social, economic, and political factors influence migration decisions, too. However, there is strong agreement that climate and weather-related stressors play a leading role in the increase of rural-urban migration in Bangladesh.
While migration is often considered a valid adaptation strategy, it can at the same time reinforce acute vulnerability and further exacerbate conflicts. This is the case, if migrants are forced to settle in slum areas earmarked by insufficient access to basic services, infrastructure and income opportunities. In cities such as Khulna and Rajshahi, approximately 70% of the slum dwellers are migrants. However, no measures are in place in Bangladesh yet that are geared to improving the living conditions of climate migrants and to addressing their livelihood needs.
Objective
The living conditions of climate migrants, as well as EU returnees, have improved in selected hot spot areas of slums in five partner cities of Barisal, Khulna, Rajshahi, Satkhira and Sirajganj because of needs-based livelihood measures and an improved access to social services.
Approach
The project is part of the special initiative of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) "Tackling the Root Causes of Displacement, Reintegrating Refugees" and operates in five areas of activity:
• Participation of slum dwellers: The project supports a participatory process involving slum dwellers and representatives of local government. Based on needs analyses, tailored measures are developed to improve the access to social services and the living conditions in the slums.
• Improvement of livelihoods through employment qualification: Through demand-oriented vocational training and education courses, slum dwellers and EU returnees develop employable skills and gain access to the urban labour market. In addition, job placement programme and additional courses for those wanting to start their own businesses are offered.
• Improved linkages to finance and local businesses: Even though the instrument of microfinance was devised in Bangladesh, access to financing opportunities is very limited for slum dwellers. The project aims at reducing existing access barriers to micro-finance, while at the same time providing training measures on entrepreneurship and basic financial education.
• Improved access to social services: GIZ supports local government in improving the access of slum dwellers and EU returnees to available public social services. Through the establishment of decentral information hubs by the municipal administration, public social services of the various ministries are bundled and can be accessed by slum dwellers.
• Mainstreaming into the national policy process: Results and lessons learnt on poverty reduction strategies are translated into policy recommendations for national decision-makers and feed into the political dialogue on climate change induced internal migration in Bangladesh.
The project cooperates closely with the other German international cooperation activities in the GIZ priority area "Adaptation to Climate Change in Cities" as well as with other projects financed under the Bangladesh Resilient Livelihood Programme" of the European Union (EU). However, it is the first project supported by the Germany government that addresses the issue of internal climate-induced migration. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is funding the project with 5,000,000 Euro and the EU is contributing 10,000,000 Euro.