ABOUT
OUR WORK
Bangladesh is committed to a corruption-free and inclusive government. Platforms for Dialogue is working with Civil Society Organisations and Government Officials to improve democratic ownership and improve accountability mechanisms.
MISSION & VISION.
MISSION
Platforms for Dialogue (P4D), a European Union-funded project in partnership with the Cabinet Division, worked to improve good governance and engage civil society organisations (CSOs) and citizens in government accountability mechanisms.
VISION
With our partners, Platforms for Dialogue increased awareness of citizen rights, promoted democratic ownership, and supported government officials to improve accountability and responsiveness. Implemented by the British Council, the multi-year, 13-million Euro project is a unique initiative that is worked directly with both citizens and CSOs as well as the government to address reforms.
The project was propelled by a number of lively Civil Society Organisations operating at the grassroots level. P4D’s key intervention was capacity building for local civil society organisations and representatives of local government bodies.
At the local level, the project supported discussions on policy issues in 21 districts. At the national level, P4D supported government institutions to deliver on ambitions set out in the 7th Five-Year Plan. The project focused on social accountability tools, including the National Integrity Strategy, the Right to Information Act 2009, the Grievance Redress System, and the Citizens’ Charter.
RESULT AREAS.
Stronger Civil Society. Improve CSOs' ability to influence government policy, hold government accountable, and ensure better representation of citizens' interests.
Better Governance. Improve government accountability and responsiveness through enhanced capacity building for government officials and CSO engagement.
Partnership for Dialogue. Develop and introduce new tools and policy platforms to facilitate dialogue between the government of Bangladesh and its citizens.
PROJECT REACH.
Community Level. We have worked with CSOs at the grassroots level in 21 Districts, focusing on initiatives at the Upazila level. Our activities included Multi-Actor Partnerships (MAPs), Social Action Projects (SAPs), local government trainings, CSO capacity building, and sensitising the public on social accountability tools like Citizen's Charter, Right to Information (RTI), Grievance Redress System (GRS), and National Integrity Strategy (NIS).
Regional Level. Shifting the project focus from the local level to the district level, we worked in 12 districts with regional civil society organisations and government offices to establish and facilitate District Policy Forums (DPFs), MAPs, sensitisation campaigns, collaborative events, CSO capacity building, and government trainings.
National Level. The final stage of the project focused on National Dialogues that bring ministry-level government officials and CSO leaders from the local and district levels together to discuss important policy issues. At the end of 2022, the project held three national policy dialogues on key thematic issues (child marriage, community clinics, and quality education), ran large-scale sensitisation campaigns, and worked to further promote democratic ownership and government accountability at the highest levels. Click here to learn more.
KEY TOOLS.
A Citizen’s Charter is a public document outlining the standards for various public services. It informs citizens of official procedures and reinforces government accountability. P4D is working with local CSOs to post Citizen's Charters at public offices. To date, over 63 Citizen's Charters have been posted in our project districts.
The National Integrity Strategy (NIS) (2012) is a good governance strategy written by the government to prevent corruption and improve institutional integrity.
The Right to Information (RTI) Act (2009) empowers citizens to obtain information about public services. P4D is working with our partner CSOs to educate local communities about this policy and teach citizens how to access this tool.
Grievance Redress System (2008) is an administrative tool to help systematically resolve citizen complaints, grievances, disputes, or conflicts in government offices.
