Region:Asia PacificCurrent UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low IncomeThe World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.Least Developed Country:YesSince 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.Gender Inequality Index:0.575GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.Gender Development Index:0.723GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 RevisionMale:19,976,265 (9.5%)Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
By 2026, more people, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from more equitable, non-discriminatory, gender-responsive, participatory, accountable governance and justice, in a peaceful and tolerant society governed by the rule of law.
Outcome Indicator and ResultsPlan Period :
2022-2026
OUTCOME
BGD_D_1.3
By 2026, more people, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from more equitable, non-discriminatory, gender-responsive, participatory, accountable governance and justice, in a peaceful and tolerant society governed by the rule of law.
BGD_D_1.3B
BGD_D_1.3B
Country
The number of CSOs participating in the coordination and monitoring mechanism to implement the NAP WPS (0.5.4)
2023
Result-
BGD_D_1.3B
Country
2021
Baseline
00
2022
Milestone
22
Result
22
2023
Milestone
22
Result
--
2024
Milestone
22
Result
--
2025
Milestone
22
Result
--
2026
Target
22
Result
--
SP_D_0.1.7
SP_D_0.1.7
Country
Number of adopted National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security with monitoring indicators (CO)
Strategic Note Outcome Progress NoteShowing data of :
2022
By 2026, more people, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from more equitable, non-discriminatory, gender-responsive, participatory, accountable governance and justice, in a peaceful and tolerant society governed by the rule of law.
The progress against this outcome remains on track in 2022.
Bangladesh has demonstrated its commitment to improving the lives of women and girls by prioritizing gender equality in the national development plans, including in the country's Eighth Five Year Plan (2020-2025) (8 th FYP). Against this backdrop, the Bangladesh government remains steadfast in its commitments to global normative agendas, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) concluding observations and the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) on Women Peace and Security (WPS).
The strengthened national women's machinery and relevant national institutions are able to roll out and implement national strategies that focus on enhancing the lives of women and girls, and promote good governance, peace, and social cohesion. The implementation of the country's first-ever National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (NAP WPS) (2019 – 2022) has been extended until 2025 to enable the government to re-align its priorities at the tail-end of a global pandemic and its ensuing socioeconomic impacts. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated the importance of the WPS agenda in Bangladesh to build a peaceful and cohesive society.
The revision of the National Action Plan (2013) of the National Women Development Policy 2011 (2011) has further refined the plan's priorities. The revised NAP will bolster the implementation of commitments set in the 8 th FYP and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it maps the key actions of government stakeholders – a testament to the government's national and global commitments to gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE) priorities.
The government's acknowledgment of civil society, especially women-led organizations, as critical partners in implementing national GEWE priorities demonstrates the impact of the country's robust women's movement in advancing the actions of GEWE. The NAP WPS implementation framework, through an Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG) led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), officially included leading women-led organizations Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS) and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), both valued UN Women partners, as the two civil society members of the IMCG. The inclusion of civil society in the IMCG safeguards their representation in the implementation of the NAP.
The Women Peace Café (WPC ) – a university-based platform for young women and men to promote civic engagement and peaceful societies – co-created by UN Women in partnership with Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), Brac University – demonstrated its sustainability as a replicable model as it sustains beyond the UN Women supported intervention under the "Empowered Women, Peaceful Communities" programme, which ended in March 2022. The new WPC in Asian University for Women in Chattogram, Bangladesh, established after the project, is a fully student-led initiative by young women who participated in UN Women-supported training and events. The institutionalization of the WPC model in Brac University as an official university club ensures that the initiative can thrive through the support of the university authorities. Overall, from 2018 to 2022, the WPC model garnered around 400 members; trained over 1,000 students on social entrepreneurship, peace and social cohesion, gender, leadership, and digital literacy; awarded 18 student-led initiatives with seed funds for innovative social entrepreneurship; and reached nearly two million people through robust social media engagement. The strengthened leadership capacity of young female students, and their male allies, has manifested in their ability to continue engaging in and sustaining WPC activities beyond any external intervention. This is demonstrated by anecdotal evidence that several WPC members trained on digital literacy in 2021 became trainers themselves in 2022, replicating a contextualized version of the digital literacy training coordinated by the UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Office. One of the key outcomes of UN Women's intervention has been the extensive social media engagement, including online advocacy, campaigns, webinars, and events, that has fostered a growing band of youth empowered with knowledge and skills on navigating the difficulties of the virtual space. In their own words, WPC members elaborate on how their lives have changed through engagement with the WPC model: "I have been involved with the Project "HARMONY" as an anchor and content writer for around four months. From this journey, I have learned so many things to raise my voice as a woman[…]. I have also learned how to prevent and take steps against cyberbullying, hate speech, etc. […..] Besides all this, I have achieved some skills such as leadership, decision-taking, gender equality, communication, network build-up, etc. At last, all these works and dedication help me to become the best version of me as a youth leader and peace builder." - Lamiatun Nisa Protibha, Women Peace Ambassador initiative " HARMONY ", Women Peace Café Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University .
UN Women's contribution to the above results was primarily through technical support to the government (Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs), as well as fostering strong partnerships with key government stakeholders (members of the IMCG, Bangladesh Armed Forces Division and its training wing for UN Peacekeepers), women-led organizations (BNPS), academia (Brac University), development partners (Governments of Australia, Canada, and Japan) and the UN system in Bangladesh (through the UN Country Team Prevention of Violent Extremism Working Group). UN Women enhanced engagement with Members of Parliament on WPS issues, which has opened opportunities for further conversations on their role in promoting peace and social cohesion within their constituencies in anticipation of the national elections in 2024. Engagement with the media, especially through civil society-led initiatives with influential news media (print, television ) has opened avenues for further advocacy on the WPS agenda and the role women play in building peaceful and resilient societies.
Key partners have also acknowledged UN Women's interventions. The Secretary, Maritime Affairs Unit, of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Md. Khurshed Alam acknowledged and thanked UN Women for its role and contribution to advancing the WPS agenda. H.E. Ito Naoki, Ambassador of Japan in Bangladesh , said, "I was very impressed by young female leaders from respective universities from Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Dhaka, who empowered vulnerable communities at a grass-roots level in partnership with CPJ, Brac University, and UN Women".
Although the Theory of Change (TOC) remains valid for this outcome, challenges remain. With the threat of a looming global recession amidst an ongoing global pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine and Afghanistan, much-needed development assistance has been diverted away from Bangladesh. This has affected UN Women's WPS programme in Bangladesh, with the loss of anticipated funding affecting the planned interventions. To mitigate this, the office is developing a robust resource mobilization strategy, as well as engaging with the UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Office to contribute to the regional framework for Governance and Peace and Security, which would enable further funding opportunities for the Bangladesh office. The programme partners are also seeking resource mobilization opportunities, including partnerships with other UN Women programmes, such as the humanitarian response or climate change programmes that will enable cross-thematic engagement.
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Strategic Note (SN) Development Results and Resources Framework
Intended ultimate beneficiaries, Conditions, Budget, Results, outcomes and outputs
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References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
