Approximately 200,000 of the most vulnerable households in Bangladesh can expect to be better prepared and have reduced risks of damages caused by disasters and climate change, thanks to the partnership of Sweden, European Union, the United Nations and Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. A project titled Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC), which will be implemented in the next four years in seven most climate vulnerable districts, has been launched today in the Economic Relations Division (ERD) premises. 

“The Government of Bangladesh is aware of the severity of the effects of climate change. Therefore, projects like LoGIC could be extremely useful to harness the potential of local community through engaging them in developing the Local Development Plan” said Mohammad Mejbahuddin, Senior Secretary, ERD

While the global leaders are concluding the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 22) in Morocco, here in Bangladesh the UN, the EU and Sweden, join with the Government of Bangladesh to address country’s key climate change priorities set out in the Seventh Five Year Plan. The LoGIC project, using and improving governmental structures, will set a mechanism to allow the local government institutions and vulnerable households to access directly the knowledge, technology and financing necessary to adapt to climate change. 

The project has an initial budget of US$ 20 million which will be financed by Sweden with around US$ 9.25 million, the European Union with approximately US$ 8,57 million, US$ 200,000 each from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and BDT six crore from the Government of Bangladesh.

"Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time. Bangladesh is pioneering on what can be done to mitigate the effects of climate change. Climate change is a big threat to humanity, and addressing the impact starts in the most vulnerable countries. The European Union is glad to be a partner of the Government and the people of Bangladesh in increasing resilience and better preparedness,” said Ambassador of the European Union, Pierre Mayaudon. 

Bangladesh is among the top ten countries that have been the most affected by climate change and disasters. There is an evident change in rainfall, a rise in temperature and extreme weather events like cyclones, floods and rise in sea level. The Government of Bangladesh has lost about 15% of its GDP in five major disasters since 1998. These events further cause poverty and vulnerability amongst the people of Bangladesh.

The LoGIC project, which will be implemented until 2020, will address the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. It has been developed by the European Union in consultation with Sweden, UNDP, UNCDF and the Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (MoLGRD&C), Bangladesh. 

“Sweden is enthusiastic about supporting investments close to vulnerable communities and households that will build resilience in the face of climate change and contribute to poverty alleviation,” said Johan Frisell, Ambassador of Sweden.

“The path of Bangladesh to become a middle-income country and growth towards prosperity is threatened by the onslaught of climate change. There are indications that the risks of disasters will increase over the period of time. It is important that the developing countries, besides foreign financial aid, also build strong partnerships through their own resources to draw strong actions to tackle this challenge. Bangladesh has set a positive example in this regard as the country became one of the first few nations to mobilise its own resources to tackle climate change,” said Robert Watkins, UN Resident Coordinator.