Project profile — Scaling up Investments in Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience

• Bangladesh (100.00%)

• Environmental policy and administrative management:
Environmental policy and administrative management (41010) (15.00%)
Bio-diversity (41030) (40.00%)
Environmental education/training (41081) (15.00%)
Environmental research (41082) (15.00%)
• Other Multisector: Disaster Risk Reduction (43060) (15.00%)

• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (principal objective)

This project supports the Government of Bangladesh’s efforts to integrate climate change adaptation in large infrastructure projects and urban plans to make them more resilient and integrate nature-based solutions (NBS) with biodiversity co-benefits. It also seeks to incorporate the views of the most vulnerable, particularly women, in project design. Project activities include: (1) conducting high-resolution climate risk assessments and stress tests for infrastructure assets; (2) strengthening the capacity of 200 Climate Resilient Infrastructure Officers in the Government of Bangladesh; (3) integrating nature-based solutions and other adaptation solutions in at least four large-scale urban investment projects; and (4) building the capacity of infrastructure planners and designers to meaningfully engage vulnerable communities in designing and planning large-scale green infrastructure projects.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased knowledge of climate-risk data to design climate-resilient infrastructure and water services by financing institutions in Bangladesh; (2) increased government capacity to develop gender-responsive climate-resilient infrastructure solutions with nature-based solutions; and (3) increased capacity of government to engage women, youth, and vulnerable communities in developing climate adaptation investments for resilient infrastructure.

Results achieved as of September 2025 include: (1) completed 3 high-resolution climate risk assessments to inform infrastructure investment designs and government decision-making for the World Bank Group’s Bay Terminal Project, Green Railway Logistics Project, and Climate Smart Rural Transport Project; (2) proposed nature-based solutions to reduce risks and improve long-term resilience of the planned Bay Terminal port facilities and neighbouring communities; (3) designed and delivered 2 Masterclasses on Gender-Responsive Climate-Resilient Infrastructure in PPPs to the Chittagong Port Authority, Bangladesh Railway, and Local Government Engineering Department, as well as a Gender-Responsive Climate Finance Masterclass. This is embedded in the curricula of the Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy and Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management to better institutionalize climate finance literacy within the public administration; and (4) completed participatory mapping in 76 informal settlements and initiated People’s Adaptation Plans and Women’s Adaptation Labs in 5 communities to support community-based adaptation.

• Proactive disclosure