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Data and statistics play a critical role in the prioritization of policies and investments for Bangladesh to achieve green, resilient, and inclusive development (GRID). This includes environmental pollution monitoring data; disaggregated statistics on ecosystem extent, condition, and services; and data on the socioeconomic impact of the environment on the local economies and livelihoods, among others. In particular, better environmental data and statistics will allow for theincorporation of criteria to prioritize and monitor green growth interventions and embed GRID principles in public budget planning. Reliable statistics can furthermore be instrumental in unlocking financing for environmental outcomes, including carbon credits and nature bonds.
Bangladesh has already taken significant steps to improve the availability, quality, and reliability of its environmental statistics. In 2016, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), under the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) of the Ministry of Planning, embarked upon an ambitious process to improve environmental statistics and developed the Bangladesh Environmental Statistics Framework (BESF) 2016-2030 together with the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission. In 2024, Bangladesh is working towards updating its National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) which positions environmental statistics as one of six strategic priorities to transform Bangladesh to a data-driven country.
As part of the ongoing GPS Seminar Series, this hybrid session will feature guest speakers from the Government of Bangladesh, specifically from the SID of the Ministry of Planning and BBS. Join us as we celebrate Bangladesh’s achievements to date in producing policy-relevant environmental statistics and learn from external experts on how the regular and reliable production of prioritized environmental statistics can play a key role in tackling environmental challenges. This seminar will also showcase how the World Bank is partnering with Bangladesh to further institutionalize environmental statistics with the support of the Global Program on Sustainability (GPS) and through a larger statistical capacity enhancement and modernization engagement encompassing lending and non-lending support.
Guest speakers:
- Dr. Shahnaz Arefin NDC, Secretary, Statistics and Informatics Division (SID), Bangladesh Ministry of Planning
- Dr. Dipankar Roy, Joint Secretary, SID, Ministry of Planning
- Mr. Mohammad Saddam Hossain Khan, Deputy Director and Project Director of Strengthening Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Statistics (ECDS) Project, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)
- Mr. Rob Smith, Principal at Midsummer Analytics, and Former Director of the Environmental Accounts and Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
- Dr. Michael Vardon, Associate Professor, Environmental Accounting, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
- Ms. P. Bhanumati, Senior Economist, Real Sector Statistics Division, Statistics Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- Mr. Rodrigo Porto, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank
Agenda:
Moderator: Jihae Kwon, Environmental Economist, World Bank (WB)
10:00-10:05 – Welcoming remarks, Bekele Ambaye Shiferaw, Senior Environmental Economist & Program Coordinator of GPS, World Bank
10:05-10:10 – Opening remarks: Bangladesh’s commitment to institutionalizing environment statistics, Dr. Dipankar Roy,
Joint Secretary, SID, Ministry of Planning
10:10-10:30 – Achievements and planned actions under the Bangladesh Environmental Statistics Framework 2016-2030, Mr. Mohammad Saddam Hossain Khan, Deputy Director and Project Director of Strengthening Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Statistics (ECDS) Project, BBS
10:30-10:40 – The role of National Statistics Offices in addressing today’s environmental challenges, Mr. Rob Smith, Principal at Midsummer Analytics, and Former Director of the Environmental Accounts and Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
10:40-10:50 – Challenges and opportunities for institutionalizing and prioritizing environment statistics, Dr. Michael Vardon, Associate Professor, Environmental Accounting, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
10:50-11:00 – Strengthening official data for climate policies, Ms. P. Bhanumati, Senior Economist, IMF
11:00-11:10 – How data and statistics can unlock financing for nature, Mr. Rodrigo Porto, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank
11:00-11:20 – World Bank’s partnership with the Government of Bangladesh on statistical capacity enhancement and modernization, Dr. Ayago Wambile, Senior Economist, World Bank
11:20-11:40 – Q&A session, Moderated by Ms. Jihae Kwon
11:40-11:50 – Closing remarks from the Chief Guest, Dr. Shahnaz Arefin NDC, Secretary, SID, Bangladesh Ministry of Planning
11:50-12:00 – Photo session
12:10-12:15 – Lunch
