The World Bank announced on Saturday that the funding will benefit rural communities by reducing poverty and creating new opportunities for livelihood. The funds will also aid local communities in Cox's Bazar who are hosting Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Qimiao Fan, the World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, stated that the projects will help rural populations and vulnerable individuals escape poverty while also enhancing the country's ability to adapt to climate change. The Sustainable Forests & Livelihoods Project, which will receive $175 million, aims to increase forest cover by involving local communities in collaborative forest management and planting trees in 79,000 hectares of forest, including a coastal green belt to improve resilience to climate change. Madhavi Pillai, a World Bank Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, stated that the project aims to increase income for approximately 40,000 households in various districts of Bangladesh, including Cox's Bazar where many Rohingya refugees have sought shelter. The project will focus on developing and implementing protected area management plans for 10 Protected Forest Areas with the participation of community members. The $240 million Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project by the World Bank will work towards improving fisheries management, expanding mariculture, and enhancing aquaculture biosecurity and productivity in 10 coastal districts. Additionally, the project will empower female workers through alternative livelihood support, skills development, and nutrition awareness initiatives. The overall goal of the project is to enhance fisheries management systems, infrastructure, and value chain investments in the region. Milen Dyoulgerov, a World Bank Senior Environment Specialist and Task Team Leader for the project, stated that this will lead to enhanced productivity and increased availability of fish. An additional $100 million in financing for the Second Rural Transport Improvement Project will focus on repairing rural roads in 26 districts that were affected by heavy rainfall and floods last year. The ongoing project has already improved and fixed over 5,000 km of rural roads, enabling millions of people to reach markets, hospitals, and schools. The financing will prioritize climate-resilience in the planning, technical design, implementation, and maintenance of the roads.