DHAKA, July 7, 2024 (BSS) - Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber 
Hossain Chowdhury today said the France-Bangladesh Adaptation Pact, which 
will be signed between the two countries, will create a robust partnership in 
addressing urgent climate challenges. 

"This collaborative effort aims to expedite Bangladesh's adaptation 
strategies while securing additional funding for climate resilience 
projects," he said while a delegation, led by French Ambassador in Dhaka 
Marie Masdupuy, met him at Bangladesh Secretariat here.

During the meeting, they focused on finalising the France-Bangladesh 
Adaptation Pact while the ministry proposed resource allocation aligned with 
national priorities. 

The timeline for the pact is set from September 2023 to August 2028. The 
French delegation expressed willingness to align interventions with 
Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) during the implementation phase, 
a ministry press release said.

The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry of Bangladesh will submit 
project concepts under the 'Ecosystem, Wetland and Biodiversity' sector of 
the NAP to access initial funding. 

The French Development Agency, Agence FranOaise de D,veloppement (AFD), has 
requested the ministry's formal project request to secure the first tranche 
of €4 million for 2024.

The meeting highlighted projects aimed at restoring and protecting the 
Sundarbans, including mangrove plantation and community-based forest fire 
management.

The French government, through AFD, is offering a climate policy loan support 
of €300 million. The ministry stressed the need for technical support to meet 
specific indicators, particularly those related to the Enhanced Transparency 
Framework.

In September 2023, during his historical visit to Bangladesh, French 
President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country would sign an agreement 
with Bangladesh to finance climate-change adaptation and loss and damage in 
the first half of 2024.

The French Development Agency will be contributing €1 billion ($1.1 billion) 
in investment, and the IMF will be extending up to $1 billion worth of SDRs 
(Special Drawing Rights) in new loans, Macron said.