DHAKA, May 30, 2024 (BSS) - The government will prepare a database to enhance coordination in the activities being carried out by the international development partners in Bangladesh.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Local Consultative Group (LCG) on Climate Change and Environment (CCE) held at the meeting room of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change at Bangladesh Secretariat here, with Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed in the chair.

The database will include information on the current activities of the development partners and their areas of interest for future projects. To avoid duplication or overlapping of works and increase efficiency, thematic area-based working groups will be formed.

A special workshop will be organised soon to coordinate the activities of the Bangladesh Climate Development Partnership (BCDF), a ministry press release said.

The meeting discussed avoiding duplication of activities of the BCDP and the LCG's working groups to maximise the use of the country's limited resources by working together. It was also discussed that the LCG group would provide full support to the BCDP board in all future activities.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed said immediate support from the development partners is needed to increase the capacity of officials and for various tasks, including international conferences.

She said the government has taken initiatives to strengthen relationships with international development partners, non-governmental development organisations, and civil society organisations. "If development partners and the government work together, we will be able to achieve success in many areas," she added.

Additional Secretary (Administration) of the ministry Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary (Development) Md Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Secretary (EPC) Tapan Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Environment) Dr Fahmida Khanom, newly elected Vice-President of the LCG and First Secretary and Deputy Head of Cooperation of the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka Nayoka Martinez Backstrom, and representatives from various ministries and 33 development partner organisations, including the EU, UN Women, IOM, ADB, USAID, UNICEF, UNCDF, JICA, GIZ, and the US, Danish, and Swedish Embassies, were present at the meeting.