The aim of the AAB Communications is to help deliver consistent tools and service support across every operation of AAB while inhibiting the values of our brand. We believe that consistent use of our visual identity will create a stronger brand and increase visibility & recognisability. It is essential that every stakeholders involved with ActionAid Bangladesh understands our brand and adopts it in their thinking and work. AAB Communications offers all respective programs a wealth of practical assistance and advice for any kind of communication purpose.
The following are the key activities that AAB Communications Team carried out in 2018 :
(1) In 2018, ActionAid Bangladesh commissioned a study, titled ‘Sexual Harassment at Educational Institutions and Workplaces: Implementation Status of the 2009 Supreme Court Guideline.’ The findings of the report grabbed the media attention and a total of 47 organizations expressed their solidarity including UN and relevant ministries to enact a new law. As a consequence, a number of CSOs, UNs, and ministries are now prioritizing the issue for the enactment of a separate law on Sexual Harassment. On the other side, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took the lead to facilitate the coordination process and formed a national stirring committee to review the drafts by CSOs. ActionAid Bangladesh is representing CSOs to the stirring committee.
(2) With the effort of ActionAid Bangladesh and its partner organization Muktinari including community young & adolescent leaders, Pragpur Union and Ramkrishnapur Union at Kushtia District declared themselves as Child Marriage Free Union. ActionAid Bangladesh played a key role of nationwide movement building and amendment of Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017.
(3) ActionAid Bangladesh drafted the Anti Sexual Harassment Policy. It was handed over to the Deputy Speaker of the parliament with the intent to influence the enactment of the legislation.
(4) AAB was closely involved with the review of Child Marriage Restrain Action 2017
(5) The Secretary of Ministry of Disaster Management has made a commitment to continue the technical partnership with AAB on Loss and Damage
(6) ActionAid Bangladesh hosted an international conference titled ‘River: A Living Being’ to emphasize the recognition of the river as a living entity in 2018. This was the fourth international conferment on Water and River focusing on different themes such as the right to water and defending commons, water democracy, water roots innovation with the intent to create space for sharing ideas and innovations, encourage dialogues, fostering trans-border activism and building alliance. The High Court of Bangladesh then gave an order to give some legal rights to all the rivers in Bangladesh in 2018 which have given the river a status of “legal person” to save it from encroachment.
A brand essentially summarizes how we work, what we think, and how we achieve results. Most importantly, it shows what makes us different from other organizations.
Power in People is the brand essence of ActionAid. We need to reinforce the consistency of how we apply our brand and visual identity in our daily communications. Everybody in the organisation can play an active part in making this happen.
Our brand is more about who we are and how others resonate with us than just our logo. All AAB stakeholders must stay compatible with our visual images, whether on social media, online or on community brochures.