BCDP conference calls for coordinated climate investments, bankable projects

The two-day BCDP Knowledge Conference 2026 concluded in Dhaka recently, calling for a comprehensive national roadmap to accelerate climate investments, strengthen inter-ministerial coordination and turn policy commitments into bankable projects across key economic sectors.

Conference was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The closing ceremony was chaired by Mohammad Navid Safiullah, Additional Secretary (Climate Change) at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). He thanked development partners, government representatives and civil society participants, says a press release. 

Dr Md Habibur Rahman, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, and Akira Matsunaga, Deputy Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Bangladesh Resident Mission, attended as guests of honour.

“The value of this partnership will be measured largely by what happens after this conference,” Matsunaga said, stressing the need for sustained institutional collaboration.

In the closing plenary, Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, former member of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel of the Green Climate Fund, identified industry, water, agro-food systems, social protection, energy and transport as priority sectors for climate action.

He called for aligning the National Adaptation Plan, NDC 3.0 and Delta Plan 2100, developing a pipeline of bankable projects and strengthening monitoring, reporting and verification. He estimated Bangladesh’s adaptation needs at US$230 billion by 2050, alongside US$160 billion for low-carbon development.

Moderated by A K M Sohel, Additional Secretary and UN Wing Chief at the Economic Relations Division. 

Following the inauguration by Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP, on the first day and the launch of the national BCDP Web Portal, the conference brought together more than 500 participants from government, development agencies, academia, research institutions and vulnerable communities.