30 June 2014: A two-day workshop titled ‘Climate Change: How it Impacts Us All,’ which brought together 40 community members and leaders from the Khulna and Bagerhat districts of southern Bangladesh, aimed to empower participants to use their own knowledge and decision-making processes to take action on climate change.

The workshop, which took place on 26-27 June 2014, in Mongla, Bangladesh, was hosted by CIFAL Scotland – the training center for Northern Europe affiliated to the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in partnership with the Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) and Gaia Education.

The event provided an opportunity to share knowledge and skills through trainings, presentations, discussions, peer-to-peer learning, demonstrations and planning sessions. The workshop covered the basics of climate change, including its causes and impacts at the local, regional and global levels, and enabled participants to better determine how their communities can adapt to climate change and minimize its impacts. Participants were also provided with: demonstrations of climate change adaptation techniques; emergency response training; and the opportunity to learn about local government policies and initiatives to mitigate climate change. The event was part of a series of workshops under the project Building Capacity and Empowering Communities (BCEC), which is supported by the Scottish government. Over the course of the three-year project (2013-2015), the workshops are expected to reach 120 participants. [Workshop Website] [UNITAR Press Release]