3 October 2014
UNITAR Trains Bangladeshi Communities on Climate Change Adaptation
story highlights

CIFAL Scotland, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) affiliated training center for Northern Europe, in partnership with the Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) and Gaia Education, hosted a half-day climate change adaptation seminar in Bangladesh on 8 September 2014.

9dec08unitarlogo24 September 2014: CIFAL Scotland, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) affiliated training center for Northern Europe, in partnership with the Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development (BASD) and Gaia Education, hosted a half-day climate change adaptation seminar in Bangladesh on 8 September 2014.

Together, these partners have been implementing a project to improve sustainable food security and livelihoods in communities of Khulna and Bagerhat in Southern Bangladesh, through capacity-building and climate change adaptation programmes. 

The Scottish Government approved the project for funding in May 2013 and has been supporting it ever since.

Over 70 community participants (particularly those most vulnerable to natural disasters), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government officials from the Khulna District attended the seminar, which addressed climate change from a regional perspective and discussed how to prepare for its impacts through adaptation activities and community-led solutions.

Richard Gomes, BASD Monitoring Officer, discussed the benefits of sharing knowledge and learning from a three-year project led by BASD and CIFAL Scotland to build additional capacity and empower communities. Village leaders from the project area: shared their experiences with implementing vegetable growing, fisheries and vermiculture (the cultivation of annelid worms for use as bait or in composting) projects; and highlighted both successes of, and challenges faced with, generating food and income with many climate variations. Over the next three years, 75 houses from 42 villages will be adapted following a similar techniques.

CIFAL Scotland is a hub for capacity building, leadership and knowledge sharing between local and regional authorities, international organizations, the private sector and civil society.
 [UNITAR Press Release] [CIFAL Scotland Website] [BASD Website]

related posts