Climate Finance Governance
Project description
Title: Promotion of the Climate Change Unit in coordinating the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Bangladesh
Lead executing agency: Bangladesh Ministry of Environment and Forests
Overall term: 2013 to 2018
Context
Climate change presents a variety of new challenges for the people of Bangladesh. Floods, tropical storms and prolonged droughts change day-to-day living conditions, especially for the poorest groups in society. The Government of Bangladesh is responding to the challenges presented by climate change. Climate-related expenditure already accounts for a significant share of its national budget.
The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) was launched at the beginning of 2009 under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It provides the basic framework for climate-related activities in Bangladesh. More than 40 medium-term and long-term measures are financed by both the national Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund and the donor-funded Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund.
It has not been possible to sufficiently evaluate the quality of the funded projects so far. Shortcomings exist in both the financial management of funds and the cross-departmental harmonisation and coordination of measures. In many respects, the responsible Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (formerly Climate Change Unit) still lacks the expertise, resources and capacity required to efficiently and effectively implement the Climate Change Strategy.
Objective
The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust are able to coordinate the Climate Change Strategy and implement climate funds effectively and in a trust-based manner. The quality of funded projects has improved.
Approach
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is responsible for the project as part of its activities to promote the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. Systematic organisational changes and educational and training measures help build an efficient institutional structure. The measures initiated within the scope of this government-level capacity development strategy address three areas.
- The Ministry of Environment and Forests is responsible for coordinating national climate change strategy with other ministries. The project supports the Ministry to improve its specialist resources and effectiveness as well as its coordination skills.
- The project helps the Government of Bangladesh to improve its financial management. The aim is to enable direct access to international climate change funds, such as the United Nations Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund.
- The fund management of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) is improved. The project helps the Ministry of Environment and Forests to achieve this objective with the primary aim of improving the quality of the implemented projects.
Seminars, training events and participation in international conferences are organised in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, other ministries and the international donor community. The project promotes the development of systematic approaches that help, for example, to evaluate the vulnerability to climate change of certain areas or situations. National and international experts are involved in an advisory capacity.