National Adaptation Plan for medium and long term climate change adaptation investment
28th October 2019 : Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly going to launch a three year project titled, ”Formulation and Advancement of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process in Bangladesh” with financial support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The inception workshop of the project was held on October 26, 2019 at the Department of Environment, Agargaon, where the Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, was the chief guest. Addressing the workshop, he said, “NAP should not be considered a requirement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It should not be considered merely a document with a list of projects. NAP should be considered a process of harnessing adaptation within the national development planning process in Bangladesh.”
Mohsin further added, “NAP should be a vehicle for mainstreaming adaptation into the main development plans, i.e. the country’s Five-Year Plan and to other sectoral plans and policies. That’s why it should be comprehensive.”
Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh in her speech as a special guest said, “Bangladesh, in the front line of countries facing problems arising out of climate change, has gained significance because of its experiences, vision, and ambition when it comes to adaptation.”
“NAP formulation has created a scope for a “paradigm shift” in the country by reforming legal and policy regime as well as significant improvement of best practices by stakeholders. This is to ensure climate resilience of the most vulnerable people and communities as well as the whole ecosystems. UNDP will continue to be the partner of choice in this process that ensures no one is left behind," she also added.
Sultana Afroz, Additional Secretary, Economic Relations Division also attended the workshop as a special guest. Highlighting the importance of the document she said, “As National Designated Authority (NDA), it is our responsibility to ensure proper coordination and government ownership of National Adaptation Plan formulation process as it will be a primary document for the government in adaptation arena.”
Bangladesh is called the champion of adaptation, said Dr AKM Rafique Ahmed, Director General of Department of Environment. “Bangladesh is globally recognised as the teacher of adaptation, so NAP should be a crucial programme to showcase our skill in climate adaptation sector.”
The objective is to formulate the Bangladesh National Adaptation Plan (NAP) with a focus on long term adaptation investment and enhancing national capacity for integration of climate change adaptation in planning, budgeting and financial tracking processes. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and key personnel working on climate change adaptation relevant programming in water resources, agriculture and food security, coastal zones, and urban habitation (the “priority sectors”) will be the beneficiaries of this project