Climate Resilience and Sustainable Energy

The objective of the thematic programme on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy is "enhanced resilience and adaptive capacity in terms of climate change as well as improved access to renewable and efficient energy". To this end, the thematic programme covers climate adaptation as well as mitigation.

The adaptation activities are centred around climate resilience and local economic/rural development through support to a number of engagements: Firstly, support to enhancing resilience to climate change by focusing on upgrading rural infrastructure like roads, culverts, water points and sanitation installations in climate vulnerable areas using participatory rural appraisal methods and labour-intensive approaches. Secondly, support to climate resilient and climate smart agricultural livelihood development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts – an area inhabited by various groups of marginalised indigenous people. Thirdly, support to climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) solutions with a special focus on the Rohingya refugee hosting communities in Cox’s Bazar in southern Bangladesh.

In line with the principle of the humanitarian-development nexus, the aim is to assist in transitioning from short-term refugee response/humanitarian efforts and more longer-term and durable developmental engagements that penetrates the local communities surrounding the refugee camps. Climate mitigation is addressed by improving access to renewable and efficient energy with the private textile industry. This is done through a partnership with the World Bank International Finance Cooperation, providing private businesses with capacity building to improve energy and water consumption in the textile production "Partnership for Cleaner Textile, PaCT".