Dr. Md. Ezazul Islam, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM), has said that Bangladesh stands in the frontline of climate vulnerability.
"For us, adaptation is not a distant concept; it is an urgent national priority. This is exactly why today's program is so important," he noted.
He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of a five-day training course titled "Master class on Adaptation Finance" at the BIBM in the city Sunday, reports BSS.
Mr Islam, who inaugurated the programme and chaired the inaugural session, emphasized that the financial sector-banks and financial institutions-has a decisive role to play in moving from awareness to action, from intent to investment, and from isolated projects to scalable solutions.
He further stated that the master class has been designed to strengthen national capacity in a practical manner.
Chowdhury Liakat Ali, Director, Sustainable Finance Department, Bangladesh Bank, attended the programme as the special guest.
Dr Mohammad Tazul Islam, Professor and Director (Training), BIBM, delivered the welcome address at the inaugural function while M Mosleh Uddin, Senior Programme Officer, Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), was also present at the inaugural session.
The training course is being coordinated by Professor Mohammad Mohiuddin Siddique (Selection Grade) and Ms. Tahmina Rahman, Assistant Professor, BIBM.
The master class, titled "Master class on Adaptation Finance: Building National Capacity to Enhance Access to Climate Finance through Institutionalized Training for Bangladesh Bank and Relevant Stakeholders," is being organised by BIBM in collaboration with Bangladesh Bank, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), and Global Affairs Canada.
Over the five days, the programme aims to enhance participants' knowledge of climate finance with a particular focus on adaptation finance and its relevance to banking and financial decision-making; build capacity to identify, assess, and structure bankable and sustainable adaptation projects aligned with national priorities; and strengthen skills to integrate climate risk and adaptation considerations into credit appraisal, risk management, and portfolio management.
A good number of participants, including senior bank executives, academicians, and faculty members of BIBM, are taking part in the programme.
