BP Desk
The Government of Bangladesh, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and national and international partners convened on Wednesday for a High-Level Strategic Workshop on Sustainable Buildings in Bangladesh, reaffirming their shared commitment to accelerating the country's transition towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable built environment.
The event was organized under the "Transforming the Built Environment through Sustainable Materials in Bangladesh" initiative, implemented by UNOPS in partnership with UNEP and funded by the Government of Germany. The workshop brought together senior government officials, development partners, technical experts, academia and key stakeholders to review progress, showcase innovative solutions and strengthen collaboration for transforming Bangladesh's buildings and construction sector.
The event was inaugurated by Hon'ble Minister for Housing and Public Works, Mr. Zakaria Taher, MP, as Chief Guest, alongside State Minister Ahammad Sohel Monzoor, MP as Special Guest. The session was chaired by Md. Nazrul Islam, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Public Works.
Addressing the workshop, government leaders underscored Bangladesh's commitment to promoting energy-efficient, resource-efficient and climate-resilient buildings in line with the country's sustainable development priorities and climate commitments.
In his opening remarks, Sudhir Muralidharan, Country Manager, UNOPS Bangladesh and Bhutan, reaffirmed UNOPS' commitment to supporting Bangladesh through technical expertise, innovation and strategic partnerships to advance sustainable infrastructure and resilient urban development.
Martín Arévalo de León, Representative and Head of the UNOPS Rome Liaison Office, highlighted the importance of international collaboration and knowledge exchange in accelerating sustainable transformation across the built environment.
The workshop showcased the progress of the sustainable buildings initiative, including the HBRI-DESH Sustainable Building Labelling Framework, the DESHboard digital platform, low-carbon construction materials, sustainable urban development approaches, building regulations and policy recommendations developed to support greener and more resilient buildings.
Technical presentations were delivered by representatives from the Public Works Department (PWD), Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), the Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNOPS, UN-Habitat and leading technical experts.
Participants engaged in a high-level strategic dialogue on strengthening institutional coordination, scaling sustainable construction practices and advancing policy reforms that support Bangladesh's climate ambitions while improving the quality, safety and resilience of its built environment.
The workshop concluded with the launch of the draft HBRI-DESH Sustainable Building Labelling Framework and the DESHboard website, two important milestones that will support evidence-based policymaking, promote sustainable building standards and encourage greater adoption of environmentally responsible construction practices across Bangladesh.
