After a three-year pause, Germany and Bangladesh will resume their bilateral consultations on development cooperation in Dhaka on Tuesday, officials said on Saturday.
Officials say the discussions are expected to pave the way for renewed financial and technical support from Europe's largest economy.
A high-level German delegation, headed by BMZ Regional Director Barbara Schaefer, will arrive in Dhaka to negotiate a new cooperation framework, under which Bangladesh is likely to receive assistance over the next two years.
The talks come at a time when both countries are seeking to strengthen their partnership across areas such as climate resilience, skills development, sustainable growth and governance.
A framework cooperation agreement is expected to be signed between the two nations, according to Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials.
The meeting would focus on identifying avenues for enhanced economic cooperation with Bangladesh, an ERD official said. ERD Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky will lead Bangladesh side in the meeting with a 35-member German team.
Although bilateral consultations on development cooperation are typically held every two years, the upcoming meeting comes after a three-year break. The last round of talks took place in 2022.
Germany is one of Bangladesh's largest bilateral development partners, having provided nearly EUR 4.0 billion in assistance since the country's independence.
According to the ERD, Germany is likely to sign the framework deal covering key areas including energy and climate change, infrastructure, technical and vocational education, biodiversity and conservation, sustainable economic cooperation and development, and anti-corruption and transparency.
"Being a European country, Germany consistently prioritises human rights-related issues such as biodiversity, conservation, climate change, employment and transparency. We expect a significant volume of assistance under the upcoming framework," another ERD official said.
German development cooperation is primarily implemented through agencies such as GIZ and KfW, focusing on bilateral projects.
German-Bangladesh economic cooperation emphasises sustainable development, skills training (TVET), climate and energy, trade -- particularly in textiles - and support for the Rohingya community.
Germany remains a key trade partner and development financier, contributing more than EUR 4.0 billion since the 1970s and pledging recent funds for green growth, governance and job creation.
In May 2024, Germany committed EUR 181 million in assistance. Since 2017, it has also allocated more than EUR 185 million under its development cooperation portfolio to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in south-eastern Bangladesh.
The Development Cooperation Section of the German Embassy represents the political steering level in Bangladesh, coordinating with the Government of Bangladesh and other development partners.
The ERD official said that after finalising the framework agreement on Tuesday, negotiations would begin to secure funding for specific projects in the areas discussed at the upcoming Dhaka meeting.
The details of individual projects, the volume of loans and the scale of annual financial cooperation will be determined during negotiations over the next few months, he added.
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