Bangladesh on Monday took a step toward establishing its national Sustainable Building Labeling System as government officials, United Nations agencies, financial institutions, academics, professional bodies and private sector representatives attended a stakeholder consultation workshop in Dhaka.
The workshop was organized by the Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MoHPW), in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), under the Transforming the Built Environment through Sustainable Materials in Bangladesh project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The consultation focused on implementing HBRI-DESH (Design for Environment and Sustainable Habitats) and its digital platform, DESHboard, which will serve as Bangladesh's national labeling system for sustainable, affordable and climate-resilient buildings.
The inaugural session was attended by Most Ferdousi Begum, additional secretary and chairman of the National Housing Authority; Asifur Rahman Bhuiyan, chief architect of the Department of Architecture; and Dr Giasuddin Haider, director general of HBRI. A panel involving representatives from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) discussed policy, institutional coordination and financing for implementing the system.
According to the UNEP/GlobalABC Global Status Report 2025-2026, buildings and construction account for nearly 37% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions and around half of global material extraction. Bangladesh's urban population has roughly doubled in the past 2 decades and is projected to become majority urban by 2037, with housing demand expected to reach 10.5 million units by 2030, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Participants included representatives from government agencies, Bangladesh Bank, financial institutions, development partners, universities, professional bodies, real estate developers, the construction industry, environmental experts and civil society organizations.
Most Ferdousi Begum said: "HBRI-DESH is more than a technical framework—it is a nationally owned instrument that will help translate Bangladesh's commitment to sustainable urban development into practical action. Through strong collaboration among government, the private sector and development partners, we can establish a credible and transparent system that promotes sustainable, affordable and climate-resilient buildings across the country."
The consultation produced recommendations on governance, financing, capacity development and digital systems to inform HBRI-DESH's implementation guidelines and phased national rollout. The initiative also supports Bangladesh's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 12 and 13.