DHAKA, Sept 19, 2023 (BSS) - Two technical cooperation agreements were signed 
today between Bangladesh and Germany against two projects in the fields of 
the Sundarbans Mangroves and in tanneries.

The agreements are on the projects titled: "Integrated management of the 
Sundarbans Mangroves and the Marine Protected Area 'Swatch of No Ground 
(SoNG)' Bangladesh" and "Good Working Conditions in Tanneries (GOTAN)".

Sharifa Khan, secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Andreas 
Kuck, country director of GIZ on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany in 
Bangladesh, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective sides, said a 
press release.

The total available fund for the "Integrated management of the Sundarbans 
Mangroves and the Marine Protected Area 'Swatch of No Ground (SoNG)' 
Bangladesh" is up to 4 million euro for a period of three years ending on 
July 31, 2025.

The Department of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests 
and Climate Change will implement the project.

The government has designated the SoNG as the country's first Marine 
Protected Area with a surface area of 173,000 ha. The funding proposal is 
mainly based on a request for support in the wider 'Blue Sundarbans' area 
received from the government in March 2017. 

The main project objectives are to improve the coordination mechanisms for 
the protection and sustainable use of the natural resources of the Swatch of 
No Ground (SoNG) Marine Protected Area and to strengthen the capacity of BFD 
in the field of marine protected area management.

The total available fund for the "Good Working Conditions in Tanneries 
(GOTAN)" project is up to 4 million euro to be completed by April 30, 2025.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under 
the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) will implement the project.

Under the project, the institutional framework will be reinforced to foster 
enhanced compliance with occupational health and safety standards in 
tanneries in selected regions of Bangladesh.