DHAKA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday pledged 2 billion U.S. dollars over the next three years in new funding to help Bangladesh become less vulnerable to climate change.
The pledge came after Kim concluded a two-day trip to Bangladesh, focusing on the country's successes in reducing extreme poverty.
Kim visited schools that double as cyclone shelters during major storms as well as rural communities in more remote locations that are enjoying the benefits of electricity in their homes and shops through solar systems as part of the country's green growth agenda.
"Bangladesh is among the countries most at risk from the impacts of climate change. We must confront climate change now as it hits the poor the hardest," said Kim.
"Bangladesh has been a forerunner in adaptation and stronger disaster-coping mechanisms and these have reduced the impact of recent storms, cyclones and floods," he added.
On Kim's first day in Bangladesh, he marked End Poverty Day to celebrate the country's achievements in helping millions of people lift themselves out of poverty.
The 2-billion-U.S. dollar pledge in new money for climate change is in addition to 1 billion U.S. dollars pledged by Kim on Monday to end childhood stunting in Bangladesh.
