Financial Allocation from National Budget Related to UNCCD Support

 

The major actors in the sphere of sustainable natural resource management and desertification control are the Ministries of Environment and Forest, Agriculture, Water Resources, Local Government, and Relief & Rehabilitation. The sources of funding available to these Ministries for implementing their sustainable development programs including combating desertification are the national budgets, dedicated sectoral funds and external assistance. Some assistance has been received in soil conservation and watershed management activities, forest management, and soil fertility improvement programs, all indirectly related to issues related to combating desertification.

 

Budget planning is done for a fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). The current mechanism of funding of sectoral plan projects would be followed for NAP. Under this mechanism the local governments in partnership with village communities would prepare projects within the NAP framework and forward it to the National Committee for CCD for technical scrutiny with the Executive Committee releasing funds for implementation. However, funding procedures need to be streamlined so that funds are made available on a timely basis for governments and project implementation authorities.

 

Through the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance, the Government has the primary responsibility for coordinating its foreign aid receipts from initial proposals through negotiations to utilization. according to ERD guidelines, efforts for securing external assistance will be made only for those projects formally approved in principle by the Government. Care is taken so that external aid proposals do not disrupt budgetary discipline or the planning process. ERD approaches development partners for assistance to a project or program only when appropriate, having evaluated the preference, priority, accompanying terms and conditions of the development partners.

 

Measures to Facilitate the Access to Local Sources of Funding
To increase access of NGOs and CBOs, GoB intends to establish a Land degradation Trust Fund for channeling the financial resources. The NGOs and CBOs may submit technical and financial proposals to secure funding from these sources, and the Executive Committee would select the proposal and allocate necessary funds. Although the CCD Trust Fund would be a legal funding mechanism, it would depend on limited national budgets. Local actors are aware of the availability of funding and would be consulted for submission of proposals within a specified time. However, these sources have limited funds and are unable to meet the demand of NGOs and CBOs. Besides, local actors may receive some funding through the government program for joint implementation and management.

 

These sources may be designed for environmental and resource management which contributes to combating desertification process. MoEF will review, in the near future, the administrative procedures and organizational set-up of the Trust Fund, and will develop new sets of rules for the administration of the fund. This study will also explore possibilities and ways and means for fund raising through internal and external sources. Bangladesh would welcome any offer to strengthen this fund as a financial mechanism for combating desertification and natural resource management programs.

 

Technical and Financial Assistance Required
At the commencement of Bangladesh’s UNCCD program, Bangladesh will require adequate technical and financial assistance for the implementation of the UNCCD, specifically the formulation and implementation of NAP, public awareness, capacity building and information exchange. Similarly, technical assistance would be required to prepare inventories of traditional knowledge, know-how, practices and technologies. Partnership building and private sector involvement represents other priorities for technical cooperation. Technical assistance is also required to strengthen the process of community empowerment in the field of forestry, soil conservation and watershed management

 

Source: National Report On Implementation Of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Bangladesh (Final Draft)