The European Commission has decided to support resilience building at community level in Bangladesh, through the Global Climate Change Alliance+ Flagship Initiative (GCCA+). Starting early 2016, a new four-year project will be implemented by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).The GCCA+ aims at strengthening dialogue and cooperation among developing countries most vulnerable to climate change by supporting their efforts for adaptation and mitigation. The project “Support for Enhancing Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change and Related Disasters” includes two tiers: i) strengthening the capacities of households, communities, and local authorities to establish inclusive local planning and community-based adaptation actions; ii) enriching the national policy dialogue by facilitating sharing of information and best practices from the most vulnerable communities. The project is in line with national policies and priorities.
The community-based adaptation actions will be financed through grants to local government, and grants to local Civil Society Organisations. Both will be allocated against performance criteria. The Action will directly benefit 200,000 households in the hard-to-reach areas of Bangladesh.
“The poorest and marginalized people of vulnerable areas of Bangladesh suffer the most the effect of climate change,” said EU Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon. “The European Union acknowledges the efforts of all stakeholders in the country to adapt to climate change and reduce the impact of disasters. Bangladesh is rapidly growing and just became a lower middle income country. Therefore, timely investment in low-carbon and climate resilient development can generate jobs and growth. The EU will continue supporting these efforts through transfer of technical and financial assistance as part of a joint response on mitigation and adaptation” concluded the EU Ambassador.
