Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Bangladesh Hoe Yun Jeong has said the organisation will provide Bangladesh with $1 billion annually in concessional financing over the next five years.
He assured enhanced financial support, including grants, to advance Bangladesh’s environmental goals, while also expressing strong interest in river-cleaning projects.
Jeong said this at a meeting with Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as well as the Ministry of Water Resources, at the Forest Department in the capital on Sunday.
Additionally, he highlighted ADB’s commitment to increasing community engagement and public consultations during project implementations.
The discussion also focused on ADB’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s climate resilience and environmental sustainability.
During the meeting, Rizwana emphasised ADB’s increased focus on climate-focused and socially-inclusive activities over traditional infrastructure projects.
Highlighting her government’s ambitious plans to restore eight major rivers across the country’s eight divisions, she urged ADB to prioritise river-cleaning initiatives around Dhaka.
The adviser also stressed the need for tangible action on the ground instead of merely formulating action plans.
She called for concessional loans and sought ADB’s support to address key environmental challenges, including solid waste management, sewage treatment, salinity intrusion, waterlogging, and human-elephant conflicts.
Senior officials, including the environment secretary and joint secretary, the chief conservator of forests, and ADB representatives, were present at the meeting, underscoring collaborative efforts to address Bangladesh’s environmental challenges.