Swedish Minister of International Development Cooperatives Per Olsson-Fridh has expressed satisfaction at the use of his country's climate change adaptation support in Bangladesh.

The minister on Thursday visited Sweden-funded projects being facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in the climate change vulnerable coastal belt of Bangladesh.

"We’re delighted to see that women in such remote place are benefitting from drinking water from a plant set up with Swedish support," he said. 

Bangladesh, ranked 7th among 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change and disasters, have been experiencing extreme weather events like cyclones, floods, droughts and rise in salinity of water, which particularly affect the poor and vulnerable, especially women.

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"This is a good example of climate change adaption support being used effectively," the Minister said after visiting a water purification plant set up by the Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) project in Sutarkhali in Khulna's Dacope. 

During the day-long visit, he observed initiatives of UNDP's Gender-Responsive Climate Adaptation (GCA) for Women and Strengthening Women's Ability for Productive New Opportunities (SWAPNO) projects.     

"Climate-adaptive livelihoods are reducing climate migration which will have long term positive impacts on the country," he added after talking to the beneficiaries of the GCA project in Tildanga of Khulna's Dacope. 

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"Empowering one woman is empowering a family and a society. I’m happy that Sweden is supporting SWAPNO to empower rural women in Bangladesh," the minister said after seeing the project activities in Shatkhira's Tiger Point.

He also visited UNDP's conservation activities around the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, including dolphin conservation activities.

The minister was accompanied by Alexandra Berg von Linde, Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh, along with Resident Representative Sudipto Mukerjee of UNDP Bangladesh, Joint Secretary of Local Government Division Saila Farzana, Country Focal Point Jesmul Hasan of UNCDF along with many other delegates.