Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Democratic Reforms through Gender Responsive and Inclusive Participation in Decision Making in Bangladesh

ActionAid Bangladesh in collaboration with WAVE Foundation, is implementing the Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Democratic Reforms through Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Participation (GRIP) in Decision-Making project under the Democratic Reforms through Inclusive Participation (DRIP) in Bangladesh initiative, with support from the UN Electoral Assistance Programme. The project aims to strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive democratic institutions in Bangladesh during a critical reform period by enhancing the capacity of the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) to implement gender-mainstreamed electoral processes, develop its Gender Strategy, and align with Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) General Recommendation 40. It will provide targeted training through the Electoral Training Institute (ETI) and will engage Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE)-certified facilitators to embed feminist approaches within electoral education. The project will also aim to empower civil society and women-led platforms to advance inclusive governance and women’s political participation, representation and leadership through strategic support, civic engagement, and local awareness campaigns, while strengthening mechanisms to prevent Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP), improving coordination between BEC and One-Stop Crisis Centre, and promoting women’s safe participation in politics.

Project Goal

To foster a more inclusive and participatory democracy in Bangladesh by ensuring that the voices of women, youth, and socially excluded groups are represented in political and governance processes.

Project Objectives

• Providing specialized technical and capacity development support using feminist methodology to the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) and other key government stakeholders to incorporate gender analysis and inclusive practices into policy development.

• Strengthening capacities of civil society organizations and networks to meaningfully participate in electoral and political reform processes and to advocate for the rights and representation of diverse women, youth, marginalized and intersectional groups.

• Strengthening capacities of women and marginalized groups to access existing redress mechanisms and develop new grievance mechanisms within BEC to address violence against women, minorities and excluded groups.

Project Key Outputs

Output 1: Enhanced capacities of the reform bodies and national institutions to engage with civil society and communities to Promote gender-responsive and inclusive decision-making.

Output 2: Capacities of civil society organizations and networks enhanced to actively participate in electoral and political reform Processes and represent and advocate for diverse women, youth, and other disadvantaged groups, through tailored technical assistance and joint advocacy campaigns.

Output 3: Collaborative dialogue mechanisms/platforms between civil society organizations, government institutions, and communities strengthened to foster a culture of cooperation and mutual trust to advance gender responsive and inclusive electoral reforms and political Processes.