Masterclass on Climate-Resilient Infrastructure PPPs

This training on Climate-Resilient Infrastructure PPPs promotes climate resilience and adaptation to the public and private sector stakeholders working in the infrastructure sector in Bangladesh. The workshop will aim to strengthen cooperation, links and synergies in the infrastructure planning, design, and development process and share best practices in building climate resilience and reducing disaster risk through Climate risk assessment and development of climate data and analytics. 

Event description

Context  
In September 2020, the Global Center on Adaptation’s South Asia Regional Office was inaugurated by H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh; H.E. Ban Ki-moon, GCA Chair and Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations; and South Asian Heads of State and Government. The Regional Office is based in the Department for Environment of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in Dhaka. During the launch ceremony, H.E. Sheikh Hasina called on the GCA to promote the sharing of the experiences of Bangladesh, and of other countries, on building the climate resilience of most vulnerable communities. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on behalf of Government of Bangladesh, which hosts the GCA Regional Office, is a key strategic partner in this effort.  Bangladesh is the 7th most vulnerable country in the world to risks from a changing climate. Bangladesh has made significant strides in adaptation planning over the past decade to tackle the climate impacts impeding its development. The infrastructure network is one of the hardest-hit systems when it comes to climate change. The need to incorporate climate resilience in every aspect of infrastructure projects has been highlighted in the Government of Bangladesh policy documents, including the National Adaptation Plan, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, and Delta Plan 2100. However, despite having robust national-level plans and policies, a lack of institutional and technical capacity makes it difficult to ensure the resilience of the infrastructure system.  

The infrastructure gap presents a challenge for countries and people, but it also provides an opportunity to ensure that climate change is mainstreamed through all new infrastructure planning and investments going forward. In addition, while financing resilient infrastructure assets is critical, it is increasingly important for countries to ensure that these investments translate into resilient and equitable infrastructure services. 

The government of Bangladesh is increasingly turning to the private sector to mobilize the finance required to bridge the infrastructure investment gap, which will amount to $192 billion by 2040. Yet, while there is a strong body of knowledge on guidance on how to structure infrastructure public and private projects and literature on climate risks, resilience, and infrastructure, countries lack information on how to bring those two fields together. As resilience and adaptation are seen as public as opposed to private benefits, the situation only gets worse. In order to bridge the gap, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of Bangladesh and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) conducted an assessment to stress test the infrastructure systems in Bangladesh against climate hazards and quantify the impact of climate hazards on the provision of infrastructure services and the achievement of the country’s development objectives under current and projected climate scenarios. The goal of the assessment was to inform national policy and planning processes and influence downstream investments in climate-resilient Infrastructure across Bangladesh. 

The assessment outlined the national adaptation needs within the built and natural 
environment for nationally significant assets across the four sectors: water, energy, transport,  and social infrastructure. This Climate risk assessment will support the identification, cost-benefits analysis and prioritization by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of Bangladesh of relevant adaptations interventions, including Nature-based, to increase infrastructure system’s resilience to climate change.  

Additionally, GCA launched the global Masterclass on Climate-Resilient PPPs in collaboration with the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, among other Multilateral Development Banks and technical partners. The objective of the Masterclass is to build the capacity of PPP practitioners to mainstream adaptation and resilience into infrastructure PPP projects. The first global Masterclass on Climate-Resilient PPPs was held in September 2021 and brought together 46 global practitioners from 25 countries. 

Within the context, GCA Has established a partnership with BRAC University and Grant Thornton Consulting Bangladesh Limited (GTCBL) to support institutional stakeholders in building national, regional and local capacity to integrate climate adaptation and resilience into infrastructure investments, especially PPPs, in Bangladesh. 

Event Overview
This training on Climate-Resilient Infrastructure PPPs has the objective to promote climate resilience and adaptation to the public and private sector stakeholders working in the infrastructure sector in Bangladesh. The workshop will aim to strengthen cooperation, links and synergies in the infrastructure planning, design, and development process and share best practices in building climate resilience and reducing disaster risk through Climate risk assessment and development of climate data and analytics.