Bangladesh

Energy & Climate Change

Although Bangladesh has been a Country Party to the UNFCCC since its inception, and has tried to fulfill its reporting criteria on a regular basis, it has not had much international support in facing climate change till now, in spite of its vulnerability. Through UNDP, it has been supported in controlling Green House Gases by the Montreal Protocol over the last 10 years by developing an Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) monitoring system, reporting mechanism and refrigerant management plan. The total Montreal Protocol portfolio is about USD 5 million. Again through UNDP, Bangladesh was supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), under its small scale enabling activities, in developing a National Action Plan for Adaptation (NAPA), National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA), and the Initial and Second National Communications (SNC) to UNFCCC. GEF is also providing support through UNDP for a USD 3 million project to increase energy efficiency in the brick making industry.

The current Energy and Climate Change portfolio of projects aims at addressing climate change, primarily through building coping mechanisms at all levels – national, sub-national and local – for adaptation and linking climate change mitigation to develop sustainable energy for the poor and promotion of energy efficiency in the country. Future focus will also include assisting the private sector in accessing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Carbon-MDG Fund.