The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is prioritizing international organizations over climate-vulnerable countries in granting funds, contradicting its core principles, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). This has resulted in developing nations like Bangladesh being deprived of necessary support. TIB’s findings highlight GCF’s failures in fulfilling its mandate over the last 12 years, including inadequate fund collection from developed countries and the imposition of loans instead of grants on climate-vulnerable nations. TIB released the research “Accessing Green Climate Fund (GCF) for Vulnerable Countries like Bangladesh: Governance Challenges and Way Forward” during a press conference in Dhaka. This study, conducted from January 2023 to May 2024, used both qualitative and quantitative methods. UZ elections: Predominance of businessmen points to era of politics for profit, says TIB TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman criticized GCF’s stringent conditions, which have nearly barred developing countries from accessing funds. He emphasized that GCF’s failure to adhere to its principles has led to significant delays in fund transfers and insufficient grant amounts for the intended recipients. Dr. Iftekharuzzaman pointed out the GCF's preferential treatment of international organizations like the UNDP, IDB, ADB, and EBRD, calling it unacceptable and contradictory to the GCF’s mission. He also highlighted the problematic shift towards loans over grants, burdening countries like Bangladesh with additional financial strain. Furthermore, despite corruption allegations, the UNDP’s accreditation was renewed, undermining GCF’s zero-tolerance policy on corruption. DUJ, DRU, TIB condemn ban on journalists entering Bangladesh Bank The research revealed that GCF’s recognition process is overly complex and time-consuming, hindering vulnerable countries like Bangladesh from directly receiving funds. It found a disproportionate focus on mitigation over adaptation, with GCF failing to achieve a balanced 50:50 funding ratio or set a timeline for this goal. Despite the need for USD 215 to 387 billion, GCF provided only USD 5.9 billion for adaptation in developing countries. The study also noted a worrying trend of increasing loans compared to grants, contrary to the Polluters-pay-Principle that mandates developed countries to provide grant-based climate finance. Currently, 40.6% of GCF’s finance is in loans, while 41.6% is in grants, adding financial pressure on already burdened countries. In Bangladesh, the selection of the National Designated Authority (NDA) for GCF has been criticized for lack of transparency and clear policies. The accreditation process for government entities has seen significant delays, with four entities yet to receive accreditation after five years of attempts. A Bangladeshi organization had to wait two years for accreditation due to insufficient support from the GCF Secretariat. Arbitrary introduction of mergers caused further unrest in banking sector: TIB The analysis of GCF project financing revealed that Bangladesh has received inadequate funding for its climate needs. Of the USD 12 billion required by mid-2025, only USD 1.18 billion (9.9%) has been approved from various sources, with USD 448.8 million allocated from readiness and GCF funds (3.7%). Furthermore, GCF has allocated USD 256.4 million (76.9%) for mitigation projects and USD 76.8 million (23.1%) for adaptation projects in Bangladesh, with 75% of these funds as loans and only 25% as grants. Disbursement has been slow, with only 13.3% of funds released for Bangladesh's nine GCF projects, including a three-year delay for the first instalment of one project. The press conference featured TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Adviser-Executive Management Professor Dr. Sumaiya Khair, Director of Research and Policy Muhammad Badiuzzaman, and Senior Research Fellow Md. Mahfuzul Haque. The event was led by TIB Director of Outreach and Communication Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, with research presentations by Research Fellow Newazul Moula and Research Associate Md. Shahidul Islam. TIB voices concern on relaxing wealth statement provision for govt servants  

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today (January 18, 2024) said that the report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) is “one-sided and anti-government.”  “They (TIB) are agents of BNP,” he said at a press briefing at the Awami League president’s office in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi this afternoon. “TIB speaks in the tune of BNP. History says that they were always against Awami League. They speak for BNP. We could not find impartiality of their research,” said the AL leader. “There are some organisations that talk about accidents. If a hundred die, they say five hundred died. TIB is like them. TIB and CPD said Padma Bridge is impossible. Filing a case doesn’t solve everything. Some are said for public perception. They will be dealt with politically,” he said. Read more: Top 5% contractors account for 26% market share in government procurement: TIB TIB in its report on Wednesday said Bangladesh’s 12th parliamentary election was “not free and not inclusive.” Quader acknowledged the existence of political tactics and conflicts within parties, asserting, “Conflicts are inherent in politics, and Awami League navigates through them under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. The party remains united in addressing challenges wherever they arise.” Addressing upcoming local government elections, Quader said, “Decisions regarding local government elections, including upazilas, and the use of party symbols will be finalized in the Awami League board meeting.” When asked who would be the opposition party in the parliament, Quader responded, “Clarity on the opposition party will emerge once the session commences.” Regarding commodity prices, Quader noted, “Sheikh Hasina has provided instructions on commodity prices. Ministries are formulating action plans based on the ground reality, including price control measures.” Read more: Even if action can’t be taken now, strong measures will be taken after election: Quader on those whose wealth saw abnormal increase The press briefing was attended by AL Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Sujit Roy Nandi, among other leaders.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that action will be taken after the election against those whose wealth increased abnormally. “Even if action cannot be taken at the moment as the government is only conducting routine work, strong measures will be taken after the election,” Quader said in response to a question referring to Transparency International Bangladesh’s (TIB) allegation of discrepancies in the affidavits submitted by the aspirants for the upcoming 12th parliamentary election. Read: AL Pledges to Expand Modern Urban Facilities to Every Village in Smart Bangladesh  The Awami League general secretary made the remarks at a press conference on contemporary issues at the party’s central office in Dhanmondi this afternoon (December 28, 2023).  In its report, TIB questioned the authenticity of candidates’ income, wealth, loans, and debt disclosed to the Election Commission.  The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) accused a minister, who remains unnamed, of owning “undisclosed overseas companies” engaged in real estate business abroad, with total assets valued at around Tk 2,312 crore. Commenting on BNP's movement, Quader said the party has lost the support of the people.  “If there was public support [for BNP’s movement], no party would have to carry out sneak attacks to oust the government,” said the AL general secretary.  Read: In Smart Bangladesh Awami League pledges more safeguards for minorities, end of intolerance  Calling the incidents of violence in different constituencies “isolated,” Obaidul Quader said, "It is normal. No candidate will boycott the election.”  The candidates want to bring voters to the polling centres by convincing them, he said. 

Top five percent contractors account for 26% market share of government procurement, according to a  Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) study unveiled today. Although the implementation of online-based government procurement (e-GP) in Bangladesh is almost a decade old, it has not been able to create an environment of fair competition, but the three-way nexus of government departments, political influential groups and contractors has given a new dimension to it, it said. TIB made the remarks at a press conference on the occasion of the release of a research report titled "E-Government Procurement in Bangladesh: Trends Analysis of Competitive Practices (2012-2023)". TIB rejects Cabinet-nodded Cyber Security Act-2023 “The e-GP process started as a very important positive step in Bangladesh, with the main goal of ensuring transparency and open competitive procurement in the public sector. E-GP has facilitated procurement processes, reduced processing costs, but market capture and monopolization in bid submissions and submissions has continued and has actually been institutionalised,” said TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman. "The main message of our report is that a kind of market capture process has become fairly institutionalized in the government procurement process. However, the main purpose of e-GP was to control and prevent this market share,” he said. The share of work of the top five percent contractors is increasing every year, on an average; about 30 percent of the work is in the hands of these contractors, said the TIB report. The share of work done by the top five percent of contractors is increasing every year. On an average, these big contractors are getting more than 26 percent of the work and the bottom 10 percent of the contractors are getting only two to three percent of the work, it said. TIB for formation of national green-skills strategy for youths  “Such a situation cannot in any way ensure the highest value of public money. We believe that due to political influence and three-way nexus of contractors with public procurement companies, on the one hand, the expected benefits of e-GP are not being achieved, on the other hand, there is a massive monopoly of the public procurement process,” he also said. “Overall, we believe that if there is a will, the authorities can identify the weaknesses in the procurement process and take adequate action through the analysis of the existing data in the government database,” added the TIB executive director. TIB urges involvement of relevant stakeholders in revising guidelines for foreign election observers At the time, TIB presented six recommendations for the consideration of the concerned authorities in the interest of making e-GP free and competitive. TIB Outreach and Communication Department Director Sheikh Manzur-e-Alam moderated the programme while Mohammad Touhidul Islam, coordinator of the same department, presented the keynote paper.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), a civil society watchdog, has again called for the repeal of the Digital Security Act on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.  The Bangladesh chapter of Transparency International, which fights corruption globally, also called upon the government to create a congenial environment to ensure all basic rights including security of life of the media workers. The organisation made the demands at a media release signed by its Director (Outreach and Communication) Sheikh Manjur E Alam on Tuesday. TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “The government should ensure a congenial environment for the media so that they can perform their duties without any obstruction as the fourth pillar of the country.” He said although the number of media increased in the country remarkably, on the other hand fearless journalism also decreased. Read more: Free journalist Shams, repeal DSA: TIB “They are being obstructed due to harassment, attacks and lawsuits by the use of state mechanisms under the shadow of those in power,” he said. The TIB executive director noted that Bangladesh slid 10 places in the ‘2022 World Press Freedom Index’, placing  162nd out of 180 countries. The 2023 index is slated for release this week by Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF (Reporters sans frontières). Iftekharuzzaman alleged that the DSA has been abusedleading to journalists being implicated in one out of every four cases filed under the act. Journalists now engage in self-censorship due to attacks on the media workers, lack of justice and fear of the DSA, he added.  

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Friday asked the Bangladesh government to reconsider and if necessary cancel what it calls the vague and inequitable power purchase agreement with Adani Group. “TIB expressed deep concern that the Bangladesh's power sector may become hostage to this controversial company if the unequal, opaque and discriminatory contract signed by Bangladesh Power Development Board to purchase 1600 megawatt electricity from India's Adani, which is an accused of share fraud, is implemented,” said a press release. This organization suggested bringing applicable amendments to this agreement after reviewing its terms thoroughly by engaging experts, or if necessary scraping the agreement for the sake of the national interest especially considering that the final burden of this agreement should be borne by the people of the country. Read more: Amid standoff over tariff, transmission lines for electricity from Adani plant completed According to national and international media reports, the electricity generated from the Adani power plant located in Godda, Jharkhand will cost almost three times more than the electricity produced in the country. Again, there is an obligation in the power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy power from Adani Power at this high price, it said. TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said this agreement is considered as inequitable and unclear and unprecedentedly discriminatory contract for Bangladesh by the international reliable analysis. “It seems that the agreement has ignored the interests of Bangladesh and favored the interests of Adani group in such a way that the electricity sector of Bangladesh can become a hostage in the hands of this company. This burden will have to be borne by the people of this country,” he said.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Thursday expressed its concern over an international media report on the Bangladesh government's purchase of highly controversial surveillance technology from Israel. In the absence of specific policies, the use of such technology will pose a serious risk of undermining several fundamental constitutional rights, the graft watchdog body said in a statement on Thursday. Read more: Govt on track to introduce ‘lawful interception system’ to monitor social media, thwart anti-state activities: Home Minister tells JS People have the right to know the answer to the fundamental question that such a terrible tool was bought with public tax money according to which specific law and policy, for what purpose, in what context, in whose interest it will be used, it said. According to a report by the Israeli media Haaretz, Bangladesh bought surveillance technology from a company run by a former Israeli intelligence commander, which arrived here in June last year. In this regard, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said people have the right to know the government's precise explanation regarding the purchase and use of technology that undermines the privacy, security, freedom of speech and expression of people's personal information and communications and, above all, threatens the lives and livelihoods of individuals. “Nothing was purchased directly from Israel’ -- the government's interpretation does not mean that this Israeli technology was not imported,” he said. The published news clearly mentions that the purchase was made through intermediaries in Cyprus at a cost of around Tk 60 crore due to the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Bangladesh, he added. The National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) commander and other senior officials even visited Greece in 2021 and 2022 to learn how to operate this technology, Iftekharuzzaman said, referring to the Israeli media report. Read more: Critical information infrastructure list is questionable: TIB “If this information is false, it is the responsibility of the authorities concerned and the government to prove it. After all, there is no room for doubt that this technology has already reached the relevant agencies of the government.” “There is no option to use this technology until a concrete policy involving all parties is formulated to ensure the constitutional rights of individuals. If not, Bangladesh will be considered as a completely surveillance-based state by trampling public interest,” he said.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has denounced the incident where teachers of 265 primary schools in Kurigram attending the wedding reception of the son of the state minister of primary and mass education keeping the schools closed. Head teachers have institutionalised personal invitations using their three days of reserved leave in such a way, the graft watchdog body said in a statement on Tuesday. Read more: TIB wants ACC's work order granting greater powers to secretary withdrawn In this regard, a clear explanation from the government is needed as to whether this leave reserved for special circumstances can be used for such events or not, it said. According to the media reports, the teachers of Chilmari, Roumari and Char Rajibpur upazilas of Kurigram attended the wedding reception on January 8. They also presented gold rings, a refrigerator and a washing machine after each teacher contributed Tk 500 each compulsorily.   The TIB has demanded that all those involved, including the state minister, should be made accountable for such an incident that demonstrated the destruction of the country's education sector through partisanship and abuse of power. Read more: IMF’s conditions for loan: TIB watchful about “discriminatory implications” TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, “This incident is an extremely alarming example of the country's education system being held hostage by factionalism and abuse of power in the long process. None of the state ministers, education officers concerned and teachers can avoid the responsibility.” The government should publish an explanation in this regard for the information of the public, especially the students, he added.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has demanded that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) withdraw the work order that gives its secretary the authority to appoint and transfer Deputy Director and Assistant Director rank officers involved in any investigation and inquiry. TIB voiced worry that this order could undermine the power of the ACC because the commission's chairman and commissioners will no longer have the aforementioned power, according to a press release. Mentioning the office order published on the ACC website on December 18, Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of TIB, said, “According to the relevant law, the executive power of the ACC is entrusted to the chairman and the commissioners under his leadership." “What was the logic behind this shift of executive power? Why did the Commission decide to leave the power in the hands of the secretary, aka the bureaucracy?” asked Iftekharuzzaman. “This suicidal decision cedes all powers to the bureaucracy, including the permanent employment of ACC investigating officers, granting of current duties, allowances and leave, pension, PRL, awards on conviction of cases, and so on. Nothing remains of the ACC now,” he added.  Stating the shift in executive authority to be the final nail in the coffin of public expectations from the national anti-graft agency, TIB urged to revoke the order as soon as possible. Read more: IMF’s conditions for loan: TIB watchful about “discriminatory implications”  

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has raised questions over the legality of announcing ‘29 organizations’ as ‘critical information infrastructure’ under the jurisdiction of section 15 of ‘Digital Security Act (DSA)-2018’.  The TIB, better known as a civil society organization dedicated to fighting against corruption, made the statement in a press release signed by its Director Sheikh Manjur-E-Alam on Tuesday. The TIB came up with the remarks two days after the government announced 29 organizations such as the Prime Minister's Office, central and state-owned banks, and the national identity and immigration departments as "critical information infrastructure", officially declaring illegal access to their information as punishable offence. Claiming the list of the 29 organizations as questionable and misleading, the TIB said the list gave birth to some basic questions after being made public despite no support from state policy. Read: Keep civil society, media people in DSA amendment process: TIB TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the government has been empowered with announcement of any computer system, network or information infrastructure as critical information infrastructure, according to DSA-2018. “However, it is not clear in which standard the list of the 29 organizations was announced without including critical ministries like Defense, Home and Armed Forces,” he said.  Terming the list as imprudent, he said national parliament, judicial department, audit, health sector, customs and ports were not included in the list.     Iftekharuzzaman said the first and foremost duty of the country is now to formulate state and public security act. The DSA will be used wrongly in future unless there is specific policy, he said. Besides, a barrier will be created in collecting information from the enlisted 29 organizations under section 16 (3) of the DSA, the TIB executive director suspected. The TIB hoped that the government will take initiative to amend the DSA to stop its misuse and ensure its effectiveness soon. However, the anti-corruption watchdog did not mention the names of the enlisted 29 organizations in their release.