United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Bangladesh has launched "SDG Café" – a flagship roundtable event aimed at enhancing the understanding of SDG achievement status and implementation challenges in Bangladesh.

The monthly event will bring together guests from the Government of Bangladesh, academia/think tanks, UN agencies, INGOs, Bi-Laterals and multilaterals, and policy advisories, reads a press release.

At the roundtable, they will effectively discuss current practices, improved technologies, policies, and standards regarding existing conditions and challenges for Bangladesh to achieve its SDG goals and brainstorm innovative solutions for propelling the sustainable growth agenda forward.

The first roundtable of the SDG Cafe on "The Ways to Change Climate Change Adaptation in Bangladesh and Beyond " was held on Wednesday at the UNOPS premises in Gulshan-2, Dhaka.

Prof Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), presided as the speaker for the first roundtable.

Climate action practitioners from UNWomen, Asian Development Bank, Brac University, WaterAid, French Agency for Development, Tetra Tech, and Global Center on Adaptation, ICCCAD, and IFRC also spoke at the event.  

"We are excited to launch the SDG Cafe as a platform for stakeholders to come together and share knowledge and experiences on achieving the SDGs in Bangladesh. Bangladesh faces serious but surmountable challenges in climate change. The difference between success and failure to meet the targeted 21.8 % reduction in emissions by 2030 would be determined by the level of private sector investment garnered in innovative climate solutions, climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, leakage-free energy transmission, and distribution, etc," said Sudhir Muralidharan, country manager of UNOPS Bangladesh.

Prof Saleemul Huq stated, "At this point in time, Bangladesh is in a good position to reinvent what it means to adapt to the adverse impacts of human-induced climate change by focusing particularly on Locally Led Adaptation."

The SDG Cafe is part of UNOPS Bangladesh's ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable development in Bangladesh.

The event will provide a forum for relevant stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions and collaborate on effective strategies for achieving the SDGs.

Source: The Business Standard