In March 2023, the NDC Action project team travelled to Bangladesh to attend the first Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting and a field trip organized by the technical partner Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC).
At the PSC meeting Mr. Mosharraf Hossain from NACOM presented on Renewable Energy Transformation in Economic Zones, while Mr. Md. Liakath Ali from BRAC presented their model of Climate Resilient Housing to be implemented across coastal areas of Bangladesh, in line with the NDC Action Project. The Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Farina Ahmed, praised the NDC Action Project for involving the private sector in achieving the targets of the revised NDC.
“The NDC Action project is a right time initiative that will help Bangladesh to address the targets of the revised NDC.”– Dr. Farhina Ahmed
During a joint field visit organized by BRAC, high-level officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and UNEP visited the southern coastal regions of Shatkhira and Ashashuni, Mongla to gain on-the-ground experience of low-cost climate-resilient housing and identify potential sites for building such houses.
Learning from the local community was a significant objective of this mission. The project team visited various vulnerable areas in Bangladesh and learned about their livelihoods and challenges. The team joined a courtyard meeting with local communities and listened to their concerns, discussed the most suitable locations to build the Climate Resilient House. The community members shared their experience of living in the area, including how they take shelter during natural disasters, as well as the challenges of accommodating a large number of people in a small cyclone shelter.
These discussions were crucial for the NDC Action Project to provide high-impact climate-resilient housing in the most vulnerable areas in Bangladesh. Overall the project aims help Bangladesh achieve the targets of the revised NDC and is an example of how to involve the private sector in achieving these targets.
“The NDC Action project will be an example for involving our private sectors for achieving the targets embedded in our NDC.” – Dr. Farhina Ahmed
