Regional Discussion Held on the Contribution of Civil Society to Bangladesh’s Progress

A  regional discussion titled “Contribution of Civil Society to Bangladesh’s Progress” was held online on April 8 and 9, 2023, organized jointly by the CSO Alliance and the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD). This initiative aims to conduct research on the contributions of civil society and development partners since the independence of Bangladesh.

The purpose of the discussion was to highlight the voices and experiences of all development partner organizations located in various districts of Bangladesh as part of this research report.

On the first day of the discussion, representatives from development partner organizations based in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Chittagong participated. On the second day, around 250 heads and representatives from organizations in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, and Barisal joined the event. Rasheda K. Choudhury, Convenor of the CSO Alliance and Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) emphasized the objectives and significance of the research during the discussion.

Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), and the lead researcher of the study, presented a brief overview of the ongoing research on the contributions of CSOs in Bangladesh over the past 50 years. Following this, representatives from the development partner organizations shared their various suggestions and insights. The research team committed to incorporating these suggestions into the report and requested further data and information to enhance the study.