Bangladesh has developed an impressive system for disaster prevention and relief, greatly reducing the loss of life and property from natural disasters. However, in recent years, the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events – clearly related to climate change – have increased. Moreover, they will continue to increase, putting a severe strain on the country's ability to cope. Therefore, on behalf of the German Government, GIZ has been quick to support the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan drawn up by the Government of Bangladesh, which sets out an integrated, pro-poor approach to tackling climate change.

GIZ has expanded its operations to include new projects, such as the disaster-preventive coastal area rehabilitation project. This is helping to rebuild production systems using measures such as the introduction of salt-tolerant varieties of rice, improved cultivation, storage and marketing techniques, and the diversification of crops, including the cultivation of fruit and vegetables by households which only have access to very small plots of land. This project also involves support for small-scale businesses and the improvement of feed production and veterinary services. Another new area of GIZ support is the wetland biodiversity rehabilitation project, which is working to increase wetland biodiversity, restore vital freshwater fishery habitats, and improve the livelihoods of poor people in the affected areas, initially in eastern Pabna District.

In cooperation with USAID, GIZ has also started supporting a project of the Forest Department to conserve resources through community reforestation, which is setting up a sustainable forest co-management system in the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. By restoring the forest in the sanctuary, the project is helping to trap carbon dioxide and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is also protecting endangered species and conserving the region's water supply.