The UN has been working with the governments of the member countries for implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The government officials of the respective countries are at the forefront of designing and implementing various development projects and policies in their respective ministries and departments. Hence, developing the capacity of the government officials in conceptualizing and incorporating the sustainability parameters in the existing development project as well as in designing new projects is vital for achieving SDGs. In this backdrop this program has been developed for the government officials of Bangladesh coming from various ministries and departments.
The academic program has been developed in collaboration with Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute and Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the Prime Minister’s Office of the Government of Bangladesh. The program had two main components:
- Academic program at Curtin University, Western Australia
- Action research projects in Bangladesh
The academic program had the following components:
- Seminars on core modules
- Seminars on elective modules
- Field visits and case studies
- Workshop on action research scoping
The core modules include:
- Sustainability: The concept and measures
- Action research theories and applications for SDGs localization
- Sustainability issues in Bangladesh: a historic and contemporary evaluation
The seminars on the elective modules include the following topics:
- Australian Government and sustainability responsibilities
- Sustainable waste management
- Planetary health
- Enhancing women’s participation in decision-making
- Green growth and sustainable investment
- Wetland restoration using water sensitive urban design
- Energy transition and P2P energy trading
- Sustainable transportation
- Cities and settlements
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
The participants were taken to visit places and projects to have an exposure on the sustainability practices in western Australia. The places include:
- A waste management facility in Perth
- A Sustainable housing project in Fremantle
- A urban wetland in Perth
- Public transports in Perth metropolitan
- Margaret river region’s agriculture
The participants along with the academic seminars and field visits attended a number of workshops on:
- Action research project scoping
- Sustainability governance with action research
- Action research scoping for implementation in Bangladesh
In the workshops the participants were distributed in groups and each group has been assigned a policy to address and develop an action research project to implement at workplace in Bangladesh addressing one or more priority SDG targets. The action research projects include:
| POLICY | TITLE | LOCATION | SDG |
| Renewable Energy Policy of Bangladesh 2008 | Sustainability of the Solar Home System in Rural Bangladesh | Laxmipur Union, Atgharia Upazila, Pabna | The project directly address goal 7 and 13 |
| National Health Policy of Bangladesh, 2011 | Achieving Coverage of Essential Health Services in Rural Bangladesh | Rangchati Union of Kalmakanda, Netrokona. | The project directly addresses SDG goal 3 |
| National Education Policy 2010 | Improving Teaching Methods for Achieving Quality Primary Education in Bangladesh | Capital District of Bangladesh | The project directly addresses SDG goal 4, 5, and 10 |
| Agriculture Policy | safe food production and nutrition security through sustainable holistic resource management approach at SDG model pilot project under Atghoria upazila of Pabna district | Laxmipur Village of Atghoria Upazila, Pabna District | The project directly addresses SDG goal 1 and 2 |
| Policy: National Food Policy 2006 | SDG-2(Zero Hunger) Model Project focusing on Sustainable Food Security System in Sarankhola Upazila under Bagerhat district | Sarankhola Upazila, Bagerhat district | This project directly addressed SDG-2(Zero Hunger), and SDG 2.1 |
| Agriculture Policy | Establishing “Pineapple Processing Facility at Jalchatra, Madhupur, Tangail | Jalchatra, Madhupur, Tangail | This project is directly addressed SDG goals 1, 2 |
| National Women Development Policy 2011 | Empowerment of Rural Women through Community-Based Indigenous Poultry Farming | Atghoria Upazila, Pabna District | Directly addressed SDG goal 1 and 3 |
| National Energy Policy, 2005 | ‘100% Affordable, Clean and Renewable Energy for Kachua Village, Derai Upazilla, Sunamganj’ | Kachua Village, Karimpur Union, Derai Upazila, and Sunamganj District | Directly addressed SDG goal |