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Sustainable Environment in Bangladesh
Energy and environment are essential for sustainable development. Environmental degradation and lack of access to clean affordable energy services disproportionately affect the poor. These issues are also global as climate change, loss of biodiversity, and ozone layer depletion cannot be addressed by countries acting alone. In Bangladesh, UNDP helps strengthen capacity to address these challenges at global, national and community levels by seeking out and sharing best practices, providing innovative policy advice and linking partners through pilot projects that help poor people build sustainable livelihoods.

At the Global Level, Bangladesh is a strong supporter of international agreements aimed at environmental protection. UNDP supports national capacity building for compliance with these global conventions and regulatory regimes, as well as national participation in global funding mechanisms for environmentally sustainable development. As a result the nation has already slashed the production of the ozone depleting CFCs by 60 percent and is now on target to meet commitments under the Montreal Protocol. In addition UNDP is supporting the Government to integrate global environmental concerns and commitments into national development planning and policy.

At the National Level, following the Rio Earth Summit, UNDP assisted the Government to identify and prioritize environmental concerns, which included management of natural resources, and protection as well as the regeneration of biodiversity unique to Bangladesh. Out of that exercise came the comprehensive Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP), which was the first national attempt to target critical environmental challenges through one umbrella programme, which works at the policy as well as the community level.

Also at the national level, UNDP is supporting the Government to improve disaster management, enhance food security, strengthen national capacity for environmental policy and legislation development as well as fosters strategic partnerships and coordinate with other donors.

At the community level, a number of initiatives aimed at increasing local food production in an environmentally sustainable manner, as well as natural resource management and biodiversity protection, are being undertaken with support from UNDP. These include, farmers learning how to use more environmentally friendly forms of pest management, and coastal fishing communities, who have seen their incomes erode over the past decade due to over exploitation of sea resources, being supported to manage these.

Projects on Sustainable Environment

Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Development

BGD/95/006 - Utilization of Agro-ecological Database and Installation of Geographic Information System for Agricultural Development Using Global Information System (GIS) Technology

BGD/97/041 - Integrated Horticulture and Nutrition Development

BGD/99/009 - Study on the effects of Using Arsenic Contaminated Water for Agricultural Production and its Relay in the Food Chain

Pollution Reduction

BGD/95/G61 - Conversion to CFC-Free Technology in the Manufacture of Aerosol Production at Advanced Chemical Industries

BGD/99/G61 -Institutional Strengthening for ODS Phase-out under Montreal Protocol (Phase-II)

BGD/00/008 - Technical Assistance to Strengthening RPGCL Through Training on CNG as Transportation Fuel for Environment Improvement

Sustainable Environment Management

BGD/96/007 - Sustainable Environment Management Programme

BGD/99/G31 - Coastal and Wetland Biodiversity Management at Cox's Bazar and Hakaluki Haor

BGD/00/G31 - Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan