The rural transformation in Bangladesh must connect climate resilience with employment, finance, technology and markets, government and United Nations representatives said at a workshop on the mid-term review of the Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) 2023–2028 of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Bangladesh.

Convened by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Government of Bangladesh and IFAD recently, the workshop brought together government representatives, development partners, UN agencies, implementing institutions and rural participants.

They reviewed progress since 2023, assessed the COSOP’s continued relevance and identified adjustments for the remaining period, including a possible extension.

Moslema Nazneen, Joint Secretary, ERD, highlighted IFAD’s long-standing contribution to rural development and called for investments supporting food security, employment, balanced regional development and the restoration of rivers and canals.

“The lessons of the past years are clear: keep project design simple, invest in strong implementing partners, pair infrastructure with production support, and never neglect institutional capacity,” she said.

The review found that the programme is making steady progress, although results vary across areas and better tracking is needed to measure its impact.

So far, it has reached 3.58 million rural people, with women accounting for 46 per cent of participants while young people accounting for about 27 per cent.

Progress is already visible across rural communities. Improved water systems now serve 86 per cent of the targeted farmland, while the number of community groups managing natural resources has exceeded expectations.

Around 749,000 rural households are producing more crops and other agricultural products.

More than 258,000 households now have access to financial services, such as loans and savings.

“The task is not to redefine the COSOP’s core objectives, but to sharpen implementation and strengthen the thematic emphasis, particularly around youth opportunities, productive employment and inclusive agricultural services,” said Reehana Raza, IFAD Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

She emphasized using IFAD financing to mobilize public resources, climate finance and responsible private investment.

Carol Flore-Smereczniak, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, emphasized IFAD’s distinctive contribution as both a UN specialized agency and an international financial institution.

“IFAD brings not only a mandate and technical expertise, but long-term investment financing, sovereign lending instruments, and the discipline of an institution that invests alongside Government over many years,” she said.

“The results review confirms that the COSOP’s strategic direction remains highly relevant, but relevance must translate into sharper priorities, stronger execution and measurable transformation,” said Valantine Achancho, IFAD Country Director for Bangladesh, “we must strengthen the link between what we deliver and what changes because of it.”

The review concluded that the COSOP’s core strategic direction remains relevant and recommended stronger attention to sustainable incomes, youth skills and entrepreneurship, women’s economic empowerment, value addition, private-sector partnerships and consistent measurement of development outcomes.

It also called for the results framework to incorporate new investments, including the Growth for Climate Resilient and Environmental Entrepreneurship and Nutrition Project (GREEN) and the Climate Resilience and Livelihood Enhancement Project (CRALEP).