Bangladesh is working towards implementing the globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as Agenda 2030. A total of 193 countries including Bangladesh have accepted this development agenda. The countries have pledged to ensure an inclusive society along with a sustainable and participatory development by the end of the given timeframe. There are a total of 169 targets under 17 goals in the agenda to attain the desired outcome.
The biggest challenge to Bangladesh in achieving these goals are poverty and inequality (SDG 1, 2, 10), water (SDG 6), skills and work (SDG 1, 4, 8), climate change (SDG 13) and gender (SDG 5). The government of Bangladesh is undertaking several policies and initiatives to align government goals to that of SDGs, while also implementing 7th National Five Year Plan (NFYP). The policy implementation challenges are the biggest constraints.
A lack of transparency and accountability in public decision-making is among the principal factors impeding progress toward development targets in Bangladesh. This is the reason why the voices of the people, especially the poor, women and other left behind people in the community are not being heard. Thus, the demands of these people is not reflected in national level policies. Hence, there is a need for a participatory governance system which would ensure participation of the people from grassroots through fair distribution of power.
To take the development process to the grassroots, there is a lack of proper human resource at local and national level. The local authority struggle the most due to the investment for education and skill-development being centralized. The situation for the local community based organizations (CBOs) and civil-society organizations (CSOs) is also same.
To ensure implementation of the SDGs through increased participation of the CBOs and CSOs, European Union undertook the project, Enhancing the Participation of Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Democratic Governance in Bangladesh. The main objective of the project is to strengthen local CBOs and CSOs through capacity building to ensure that the demands at the grassroots are forwarded to the policymakers at national level.
Oxfam with the help of their reach to the local level will ensure the capacity building of the local people regarding the SDGs. Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) will contribute through its research, publication and advocacy skills. CPD as the secretariat of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh (CPfSDGB) will also be linked to the project as it is one of the biggest networks of non-government organizations working towards implementing the SDGs.
The project will be undertaken in the riverine islands (Char in Bengali), wetlands (Haor in Bengali) and coastal areas of Bangladesh. 13 districts, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Sirajgonj, Kishoreganj, Nertrokona, Sumangonj, Satkhira, Pirojpur, Barguna, and Chattogram are selected for their high levels of poverty, remoteness, vulnerability to climate change and disasters, and with the need for improved service delivery and government transparency and accountability.
Besides implementing the SDGs, the project will also help to implement the 7th NFYP and government’s Vision 2021. The project’s target groups consist of 50,000 members of 325 women-led CBOs/CSOs and 300 CSO representatives in 13 Upazilas. 450 local authority representatives and 650 local government authorities will get the chance to enhance their knowledge and understanding regarding SDGs and 7 NFYP and use it to advocate for the needs of the community they serve. In general, the project is expected to benefit 175,000 people living in the 13 districts.