The National Resilience Programme (NRP) is designed to provide strategic support to the public and private sectors in order to build resilience aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in coordination with four key government agencies of Bangladesh. The goal of the NRP was to sustain the resilience of human and economic development in Bangladesh through inclusive, gender-responsive disaster management and risk-informed development. The programme’s desired outcome was to bring about a substantial increase in resilience to disaster and reduction in disaster risk, minimize loss of lives and livelihoods, and protect people’s health as well as their businesses. Several long-term disaster mitigation initiatives have been ongoing in Bangladesh for many years now, especially since 2009 that include aspects of gender integration, such as the Gender-responsive Guideline for the Development Project Proforma/Proposal (DPP) developed by Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) and circulated by Ministry of Planning (MoP). The Department of Women Affairs (DWA) was specifically tasked to create awareness, build capacities, strengthen leadership among women, and facilitate the formulation of systems and toolkits that would lead to better adoption and application of the afore mentioned gender-based initiatives. The project contributed to improving the knowledge and capacity of climate and disaster vulnerable women in the project areas, in reducing risks and adapting to climate change and accessing financial services (including grants on livelihood trainings). The project achieved these results by providing training to 2700 most disaster vulnerable women, on disaster preparedness, leadership, and livelihoods, coupled with cash grants. These training and increased financial access improved their capacity to withstand the effects of disaster and climate change.
