Sweden’s grant to boost MoEFCC, DOE, BFD

Business Desk:

The Governments of Bangladesh and Sweden signed a grant agreement to support a new project aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity for natural resource management and enhancing climate resilience.

Under the agreement, Sweden will provide approximately 4.9 million SEK (approximately Taka 6.16 crore) as a grant for the project titled “Strengthening Capacity of MoEFCC, DoE and BFD for Natural Resource Management and Improved Climate Resilience.”

The project, which will run from July 2025 to December 2026, seeks to bolster Bangladesh’s institutional and strategic ability to safeguard biodiversity and natural resources, said an ERD press release.

The key objectives of the project include strengthening Bangladesh’s institutional and strategic capacity to safeguard biodiversity and natural resources by linking conservation efforts with broader climate goals, enhancing monitoring and enforcement frameworks for Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs), and preparing for the establishment of a dedicated wildlife trust fund to ensure sustainable financing for conservation initiatives.

The agreement was signed by Dr. A. K. M Shahabuddin, Secretary (in charge) of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance, and Maria Stridsman, Charg‚ d’affaires and Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, on behalf of their respective governments.

Senior officials from the ERD, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Embassy of Sweden were also present at the signing ceremony.