[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1134, 357], "category": "Text", "text": "against women; gender equality in securing economic opportunities and participation; equal representation in politics; sexual and reproductive health rights; family law reforms; and gender mainstreaming in public policies. In 2020, an intergenerational feminist alliance called “Feminists Across Generations” was formed due to nationwide protest on the increased rate of rape cases in the country. Feminist networks and organisations continue to proactively outline priorities and demands for gender equality in the country’s development journey.⁸The CEF is seeking to work with and strengthen the women’s rights movement and organisations advancing women’s rights and gender equality."}, {"bbox": [96, 368, 1134, 688], "category": "Text", "text": "Enhancing civic engagement is pivotal for advancing SDG 16, bridging the gap between government policies and their actual implementation, often hindered by systemic issues. The approach requires harmonizing government initiatives with societal demand, emphasizing multi-stakeholder collaborations across government, civil society, the private sector, and youth to foster comprehensive development. Central to this is the empowerment of CSOs to catalyse citizen participation, ensuring inclusivity, accountability, and oversight. This framework supports the 2030 Agenda's vision for inclusive, participatory decision-making, underpinning the importance of civil society in achieving SDG 16 and the broader SDG goals. Despite Bangladesh's commitment to democratization and citizen-centred governance, civil society faces significant challenges, including restrictive regulations and a reluctance from government bodies to collaborate, compounded by changing donor priorities and external pressures like the Rohingya crisis and the country's developmental transition."}, {"bbox": [96, 699, 1134, 931], "category": "Text", "text": "Persons with disabilities represent around 9% of the population in Bangladesh, and continue to face widespread discrimination and stigmatization, important barriers to access their human rights, particularly education, work, and political participation. According to a UN report in 2021, while persons with disabilities are increasingly organised and have formed national networks, they face barriers to access both financial resources and capacity building support, and mainstream CSOs are not yet engaging with organisations of persons with disabilities on a regular basis. Women with disabilities are facing particular barriers to engage in civil society work with a limited number of organisations of women with disabilities are mainly based in urban cities.⁹"}, {"bbox": [96, 942, 1134, 1118], "category": "Text", "text": "Within the outlined scenario, the CEF functions as a mechanism for donor coordination, aiming to improve synergies and collaboration among various funding bodies. It is structured to enhance the collective capacity for engaging in policy discussions with the Government of Bangladesh, specifically regarding the role and support of CSOs. This approach is intended to streamline donor efforts and strengthen dialogue with the government, focusing on civil society's engagement and governance improvements."}, {"bbox": [96, 1128, 1134, 1304], "category": "Text", "text": "The CEF's approach encompasses strengthening CSOs ability to mobilise and represent marginalised communities, thereby directly targeting inequalities in societal participation and governance. By investing in local knowledge to improve governance, transparency, rights, and access to services, the CEF seeks to ensure that all program participants, especially the most marginalized, can take part in policy processes. This contributes to strengthening public institutions and making them more responsive and accountable, thereby addressing inequality both in governance and in access to services."}, {"bbox": [96, 1314, 1134, 1518], "category": "Text", "text": "From mid-July 2024, Bangladesh experienced political instability and unrest triggered by student protests against a government job quota system. The EU expressed its concerns over violence and loss of life in the context of these protests and called for a peaceful solution, respect for human rights and a thorough investigation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on 5 August. On 8 August, President Shahabuddin swore in an interim government which is tasked with steering the country through a transition that prepares the ground for democratic elections and ensures accountability for the deaths and violence that have occurred. The interim government is led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus who has"}, {"bbox": [85, 1548, 1144, 1599], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ Gender Equality Brief Bangladesh, April 2024: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/bd-c836-gender-equality-brief_bangladesh_2024.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1598, 1142, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ UNPRPD (2021). Situational analysis of the rights of persons with disabilities Bangladesh. Country report 2021. https://unprpd.org/new/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/CR_Bangladesh_2021-f6f.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1681, 193, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 7 of 33"}]