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| Bangladesh: German NGOs invest in biofuel |
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| Monday, 26 June 2006 | |
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A conference entitled "Renewable Energy Technologies" was held at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Saturday. Jointly organised by The New Nation newspaper, Grameen Shakti Bank and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the conference began at 9:30am. Advisor for Energy Mahmudur Rahman was the guest of honour at the function, presided over by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, The New Nation. GTZ, a German NGO which works with local people to promote sustainable energy initiatives, sponsored the conference.
Secretary of the Power Division ANH Akhtar Hossain, Secretary of Environment and Forests Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, Secretary of Fisheries and Livestock Kamrul Hasan and German Ambassador Frank Meyke addressed the conference.
Three keynote papers were presented:
Other delegates to the conference included Prof. Dr Nurul Islam of BUET, Director General of Power Cell BD Rahmatullah, BCSIR Director Shamsul Hoque, Harunur Rashid, Dipal Chandra Barua, MA Gofran, Erich Otto Gomm, SM Farmanul Islam, Tazmilur Rahman, Kazi Daud Hossain and Mollah Amjad Hossain, and others.
Bangladesh is a priority partner country for German Development Cooperation; cooperation between the two countries began more than three decades ago. Technical cooperation concentrates largely on the Bangladeshi economy and social structure that, despite unfavourable framework conditions, gives hope for the long-term development of the country and an improvement in the economic situation for large parts of the population.
The main problems in Bangladesh are scarce resources, natural disasters, a rigid and to some extent arbitrary bureaucracy, over-population and the poverty which this causes. Around 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line.
Against this background, the activities of the GTZ focus on the following three priority areas:
The responsible government agencies, but also increasingly private-sector and informal executing organisations, perceive GTZ's activities as an important source of impetus for development.
Particular attention is given to the conceptual and methodological approaches in advising institutions, providing training and upgrading and identifying material inputs.
The GTZ aims to increasingly use local know-how expertise.
In preparing and implementing project contributions, high priority is given to participation.
This corresponds to the German DC principle of minimum intervention (subsidiarity).
The GTZ cooperates with other German development organisations:
and directly with the following bilateral and multilateral organisations:
David Smith, Singapore
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