Bangladesh 2021

Bangladesh 

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

Demanding Democratic Governance through Private Sector Mobilization against Corruption

$664,855

Public Summary: To support the private sector’s  demand for democratic governance in Bangladesh. The Center will work with a local research institute to document and raise awareness on the effects of corruption on households and SMEs, assess the private sector’s commitment to anti-corruption efforts, and mobilize SMEs to speak with a unified voice in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.

Bangladesh 

International Republican Institute (IRI)

Bolstering Inclusive Democratic Engagement and Networking

$400,000

Public Summary: To enhance marginalized voices, especially youth and women, within political debate and decision making, the Institute will build the capacity of women political leaders, elected representatives, and political candidates to contest elections and assume leadership positions at the subnational level. The Institute will also work with representatives of the student wings of both major political parties to bolster their understanding of inclusive and non-violent means of political participation, and with non-partisan student leaders on university campuses to improve their leadership skills. Simultaneously, the Institute will support student cultural activists, including musicians, artists, and photographers to raise awareness of civic issues more broadly among students and young people.

Bangladesh 

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)

Mitigating Pandemic-Related Marginalization of Vulnerable Groups

$400,000

Public Summary: To strengthen civil society efforts to combat anti-refugee narratives and gender-based violence in Bangladesh, both of which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The Institute will collaborate with a local partner to monitor anti-Rohingya narratives and hate speech, and conduct community training programs on pluralism and social cohesion. The Institute will support subgrants to women’s groups conducting public awareness and advocacy campaigns to counter gender-based violence. Additionally, the Institute will conduct an assessment examining the impact of the pandemic on political parties and their approaches to political inclusion, – particularly among women and young people, and relevant, inclusive policy responses to address the country’s health and economic crises. 

Bangladesh

Solidarity Center (SC)

Worker Rights And Environmental Justice In The Tannery Sector

$508,058

Public Summary: To promote decent work and a just transition to a safer and healthier tannery industry in Bangladesh. Building on lessons learned from the pilot phase, the Center will support the tannery union by developing and conducting a series of workshops and trainings focused on occupational safety and health and environmental education and coalition building and advocacy to build the skills of workers to advocate for prevention and remediation of hazards. The Center will strengthen the capacity of the tannery union to organize and represent the rights and interests of workers through capacity building trainings, labor rights workshops, and an industrial relations meeting. The workshops and trainings will enable the tannery union and community-based organizations to organize effectively, bargain collectively, and represent the rights of workers and community members suffering from the intersecting impacts of environmental degradation and labor rights abuses. 

Bangladesh

International Republican Institute (IRI)

Bolstering Inclusive Democratic Engagement and Networking 

$500,000

Public Summary: To enhance marginalized voices, especially youth and women, within political debate and decision making, the Institute will build the capacity of women political leaders, elected representatives, and political candidates to contest elections and assume leadership positions at the subnational level. The Institute will also work with representatives of the student wings of both major political parties to bolster their understanding of inclusive and non-violent means of political participation, and with non-partisan student leaders on university campuses to improve their leadership skills. Simultaneously, the Institute will support student cultural activists, including musicians, artists, and photographers to raise awareness of civic issues more broadly among students and young people. 

Bangladesh 

Institute of Informatics and Development

Facilitating Youth Participation in Policy Development
$75000
Public Summary: To build the capacity of youth leaders to engage in evidence-based policy advocacy that is rooted in empirical data. The organization will undertake a multifaceted training program that orients youth with the policy process and methods for engaging in political decision making. The project activities will include a five-day residential training with 30 youth, a training of trainers that will allow youth to share their expertise and experiences with peers, and 12 community-based awareness raising sessions run by the trained youth. 

Bangladesh 

Freedom of Expression 

Tracking Digital Security Act Cases
$95000
Public Summary: To document the use of the Digital Security Act (DSA) through gathering information on each case in which the DSA is applied, tracking cases, and examining the legal recourses made available, as well as encouraging debate and awareness of the DSA and its implications for freedom of expression in the country.

Bangladesh 

Research Initiatives Bangladesh

Advancing Accountability and Transparency through the Right to Information
$120000
Public Summary: To advance accountability and transparency through the application and implementation of right to information (RTI) legislation and associated mechanisms. The organization will facilitate the efforts of RTI experts and activists to submit requests to government authorities on key governance issues. It will convene a series of trainings, strategy sessions, and regional and national dialogues to consider topics of public interest, monitor the life-cycle of applications, and critically assess compliance with the law by government institutions. 

Bangladesh 

Jago Nari Unnayon Sangsta

Promoting Social Cohesion and Sustainable Peace
$78000
Public Summary: To build the leadership capacity of women leaders in host and refugee communities and promote social cohesion between them. The organization will convene a series of leadership workshops with young women from the Cox’s Bazar host community and with young women from the Rohingya community. It will facilitate meetings between the trained women to discuss each community’s concerns and identify possible solutions. Subsequently, it will convene inter-community dialogues designed to ease tensions and understand the reality of the circumstances faced by the other. 

Bangladesh 

Freedom of Expression

Promoting Alternative Media for Democratic Change
$88000
Public Summary: To use alternative media to develop critical thinking skills among young people in an effort to empower them to hold political institutions and elected leaders accountable. The organization will use alternative media as a tool to encourage and disseminate political commentary and generate debate on political, religious, and social issues. 

Bangladesh 

Civic Engagement

Building Youth Awareness to Promote and Protect Human Rights
$45000
Public Summary: To build the capacity of youth to monitor, document, and report on human rights and engage them in human rights education. The organization will orient approximately 150 youth to basic human rights concepts and collective action strategies around human rights. It will engage the same youth in community dialogue around the protection and promotion of human rights. 

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute

Social Media Literacy and Awareness
$76500
Public Summary: To promote digital literacy skills and build awareness around the spread of fake news, disinformation, misinformation, and other incitements. The organization will train youth leaders in critical thinking, online safety skills, digital culture and “netiquette,” methods of collaboration and creativity in the social media platforms, and researching genuine information. Subsequently, the youth will engage and connect with their peers and other social actors, including respected community leaders. Through youth engagement and mobilization, the organization seeks to engage a broader segment of society on democratic norms and values. 

Bangladesh 

Freedom of Expression

Promoting Freedom of Expression and Access to Independent Journalism
$145000
Public Summary: To generate content and spur debate around democratic governance, human rights, and other critical political issues. The organization will maintain an independent media group that researches and publishes articles and other news pieces that highlight contemporary political issues.  

Bangladesh 

Building Plural Societies: Promotion of Democratic Citizenship and Media Literacy
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
$160000
Public Summary: To promote and reinforce democratic and civic values, critical thinking, and media literacy. The organization will work with universities in its network to promote its massive open online course (MOOC) focused on citizenship, pluralism, and social and emotional learning. The widespread dissemination of the online course will seek to generate a discourse that marginalizes the appeal of extremist voices and ideologies. It will also create opportunities for students who have taken the course to interact and discuss the themes covered in the MOOC.