Green Banking for Sustainable Energy
On 15-16 April 2017, a “Training Workshop on Green Banking for Sustainable Energy” was jointly organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) under Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM). The workshop was held at the Rose View Hotel, Sylhet. GIZ is implemented by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Mr. Nasrul Hamid MP, Honourable State Minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources was present as the Chief Guest on the concluding ceremony of the workshop on 16 April. Mr. Md. Helal Uddin, Chairman, SREDA; Mr. SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor, Bangladesh Bank; Mr. Md. Rahat Anwar, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Sylhet and Mr. Michael Schultheiss, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dhaka were present as the Special Guests. The workshop was chaired by Dr. Toufic Ahmad Choudhury, Director General, BIBM.
In his address as the Chief Guest of the event, the Honourable Minister urged the participants to recognise their role as valuable contributors towards the development of Bangladesh. Emphasising, that not only does green banking serve the commercial objective of the bank; it also propels Bangladesh towards meeting the needs of a growing economy in an environmentally sustainable manner. He also distributed certificates to the participants.
GIZ, through its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (REEEP), is promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in Bangladesh in close collaboration with SREDA. Promoting access to finance for green technolgoies under ‘Green Financing’ portfolio is a part of GIZ’s approach for scaling up these interventions. GIZ and SREDA launched a joint initiative in 2016 titled ‘Green Banking for Energy Sustainable Economy’, in partnership with Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) to strengthen the framework of Green Banking and the capacity of relevant stakeholders.
The two day workshop, attended by representatives from banks and financial institutions of Sylhet, aimed to increase the awareness and knowledge of participants in order to develop their capacity for financing Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) ventures. This is imperative for proper implementation and utilisation of green banking policies and schemes being promoted by the government, and building a stronger framework for green banking in the country.
The second day’s proceedings began with a welcome speech by Mr. Al Mudabbir Bin Anam, Programme Coordinator, REEEP. Mr. Siddique Zobair, Member, Joint Secretary, SREDA, gave an overview of the clean energy initiatives undertaken by the government. The workshop ended on an optimistic note, as the guests and participants opined that the benefits of a stronger Green Banking framework will not be limited to the sustainable energy sector only. Rather it will extend its positive impact across a wide range of green sectors and industries and contribute towards a greener and more sustainable economy.
ABOUT GIZ
GIZ An innovative partner for the global challenges of tomorrow –The wide range of services offered by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH are based on a wealth of regional and technical expertise and on tried and tested management know-how. We are a German federal enterprise and offer workable, sustainable and effective solutions in political, economic and social change processes.
Most of our work is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). However, GIZ also operates on behalf of other German ministries and public and private bodies in Germany and abroad. These include governments of other countries, the European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank. We are equally committed to helping our clients in the private sector attain their goals.
The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. In 2015 our business volume exceeded 2.1 billion euros. Of our 17,319 staff in over 130 countries, around 70 per cent are national personnel working in the field. In our capacity as a recognised sending organisation, we currently have 730 development workers in action in partner countries. In addition, CIM, a joint operation of GIZ and the Federal Employment Agency, placed almost 1,000 integrated and returning experts with local employers abroad in 2015 while providing them with financial support and advisory services.*