Development of natural capital accounts, data, tools, and analyses
In FY25, CIC grant activities in Bangladesh made significant progress. The land and forest accounts were completed, and the report, “Review of the MRV Framework for GHG Emissions in Bangladesh”, was finalized, providing recommendations for designing an effective MRV system for reducing point source air pollution. The report (not yet published externally), was presented to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) and the Department of Environment (DOE) promoting a strategic decision to prioritize developing a Continuous Emissions Monitoring Program (CEMP)—Bangladesh’s adaptation of CleanSYS—instead of a conventional MRV system. The CEMP will monitor air pollutant emissions from major point sources, ensure regular disclosure of preliminary data, and enable immediate enforcement of emissions standards by the DOE. This policy shift resulted in the adjustment of the indicative trigger for the third GCRD Credit to align with the new CEMP approach.
Informing investments and/or policies
GPS activities in FY25 directly shaped three major World Bank investments. For the Strengthening Institutions for Transparency and Accountability (SITA) project, GPS-supported advisory services identified critical gaps in Bangladesh’s environmental statistics infrastructure and informed the design of the project’s data component for production, dissemination, and use of priority environmental statistics.
GPS activities were also instrumental in securing two prior actions for the Second Green and Climate Resilient Development Credit (GCRD 2). GPS continued to support the National Air Quality Management Plan (NAQMP) and the 2024 Environmental Enforcement Guidelines, by organizing stakeholder consultation and dissemination of the plan. Both the NAQMP and the Environmental Enforcement Guidelines were adopted as prior actions for GCRD 2, demonstrating GPS's direct contribution to unlocking $500M in climate financing.
For the Bangladesh Clean Air Project (BCAP), GPS activities played a foundational in project preparation through feasibility studies for assessing technical, institutional, and financial viability of key interventions, including the first phase of the CEMP—a major component that BCAP will now finance.
On the policy side, GPS analytics directly informed the development of the 2024 Environmental Enforcement Guidelines, which have been officially adopted. The Guidelines introduce rules-based, progressive sanctions under the “polluter pays principle”; a framework developed through GPS-supported analytics that examined international best practices, assessed enforcement capacity, and modeled potential sanctions. Wide-ranging consultations ensured stakeholder buy-in, and dissemination activities promoted understanding among agencies responsible for implementation.
Capacity Building and Institutionalization
A series of capacity building and institutionalization events were conducted to enhance knowledge, skills, and engagement among stakeholders. These included workshops launching the National Air Quality Management Plan (NAQMP) and the Environmental Enforcement Guidelines, focused workshops on environmental fiscal instruments, and training sessions on land, forest, and ecosystem accounts. The workshops and training were attended by 174 participants from several governmental and non-governmental organizations, including Statistics and Informatics Division of the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Environment, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Bangladesh Forest Department, and the Department of Environment.
In addition, consultation workshops explored investment opportunities and sustainable financial instruments for livelihoods and conservation in the Sundarbans. Also, eight focus group discussions were held with coastal communities on alternative livelihood options, providing valuable insights for project design. Together, these activities promoted collaboration, informed projects and policy frameworks, supporting inclusive environmental governance and sustainable development goals.
Communication
The Bangladesh National Air Quality Plan (2024-2030) was launched on November 5, 2024, by the Bangladesh Environment Adviser, and drew national media attention. A blog and video was produced to support the communication efforts for the National Air Quality Management Plan.
