ঢাকাশনিবার , ৮ অগাস্ট ২০২৬
Dhaka, Bangladesh – October 8, 2025: The Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), under its Women Empowerment and Active Citizenship (ENGAGE) project, hosted a half-day discussion on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) at Lakeshore Heights, Gulshan, Dhaka. The event aimed to strengthen collaboration between local government and civil society to make public budgeting more inclusive and accountable.
Executive Director Juliate Keya Malakar highlighted CCDB’s shift from emergency disaster response to long-term development priorities, including poverty reduction, climate adaptation, and women’s empowerment. She emphasized that CCDB focuses on building community capacity to support inclusive development.
Sabiha Sultana, Project Manager of ENGAGE, highlighted the project’s work across five countries, supported by Global Affairs Canada and the Coady Institute, which empowers grassroots women to engage in local governance and budget processes.
Nubayara Jaheen of UN Women led an interactive session on GRB principles, emphasizing participatory budgeting and identifying gaps, including weak civil society engagement and a lack of climate finance tagging. Grassroots women leaders from Shyamnagar and Patharghata shared their journey of becoming active voices in budget discussions through the ENGAGE project.
Grassroots women leaders Ruby Afroz (Patharghata) and Aparna Mallik (Shyamnagar) shared how the ENGAGE project has increased their awareness and participation in open budget sessions, helping them advocate for their communities. Local government members raised concerns about chairman-dominated decision-making, low female participation, and the need for stronger monitoring and inclusivity.
Two local government representatives from Shyamnagar and Patharghata attended the session and acknowledged their presence.
Participants from various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) recommended training and capacity building at the local level to strengthen GRB implementation. They called for greater collaboration among CSOs through a common platform for all organizations working on GRB to share learning and advocate collectively.
The event concluded with remarks from CCDB’s Executive Director, who stressed the way forward through report sharing, network strengthening, and joint advocacy, followed by a vote of thanks.
