Greetings from Dhaka

Greetings from Dhaka,

Bangladesh is severely affected by climate change; its impacts are already being clearly felt. It’s no coincidence that climate change is at the very top of our partners’ agenda. Over the past 18 months, I’ve been helping selected ministries to use climate data in national planning processes. The goal is to improve our partners’ ­access to the latest data that has been customised to their needs, for instance on rising sea levels or soil erosion. We’re working together to make sure that the ­responsible authorities can interpret and use this information properly, for instance when planning coastal management measures. This is the only way to turn climate policy targets into real improvements for the population.

GIZ is active in other areas in Bangladesh, too, for example driving forward improvements in the textile sector or the expansion of renewables. My colleagues and I
are facing many challenges. We can take responsibility and shape issues. It’s very exciting professionally.

I decided to go to Dhaka because I had heard a lot of good things about our team here. We get on really well. Before the coronavirus, we regularly staged potluck lunches that brought together people from different projects. That meant that sometimes we had curry with pasta salad.

If you talk about Bangladesh in Germany, most of the time all you hear is news of disasters. These reports are often one-sided. There are a lot of things that make this place exciting. Dhaka is home to millions of people with everything that entails. ­Cultural events and religious celebrations are a frequent occurrence.

The country is also remarkably diverse. While sipping on a delicious chai, I can ­travel by train to long sandy beaches, tea plantations or green hiking areas. It’s also just a boat ride away to the world’s largest mangrove forests. If I’m lucky, river ­dolphins or a rare tiger might even show their face.

Best regards,

Emilia Huss