About

The UN Women is accepting proposals for Strengthening institutional capacity for democratic reforms through gender responsive and inclusive participation in decision making in Bangladesh.

UN Women in Bangladesh supports the government in implementing commitments to international normative standards on gender equality and women’s human rights.

Objectives

• The specific objectives are: 

  • Provide specialized technical and capacity development support using feminist methodology to the Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) and other key government stakeholders to incorporate gender analysis and inclusive practices into policy development.

  • Increase capacity of civil society organizations and networks to meaningfully participate in electoral and political reform processes and to advocate for the rights and representation of diverse women, youth, and marginalized groups.

  • Strengthen capacity of women and marginalized groups to access existing redress mechanisms and develop new grievance mechanisms within BEC to address violence against women, minorities and excluded groups.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal is between BDT 29,184,000 - BDT 30,400,000 (USD 240,000-250,000)

Expected Outputs

• UNDP and UN Women will jointly contribute to the project outcomes and corresponding outputs. 

  • Output 1: Enhanced capacities of the reform bodies and national institutions to engage with civil society and communities to promote gender-responsive and inclusive decision-making.

  • Output 2: Capacities of civil society organizations and networks enhanced to actively participate in electoral and political reform processes and represent and advocate for diverse women, youth, and other disadvantaged groups, through tailored technical assistance. 

  • Output 3: Collaborative dialogue mechanisms/platforms between civil society organizations, government institutions, and communities strengthened to foster a culture of cooperation and mutual trust to advance gender responsive and inclusive electoral reforms and political processes.

Target Areas

• There are eight (8) districts including Jamalpur (2 Upazila), Patuakhali (2 Upazila), Khulna (2 Upazila), Bogura (2 Upazila), Kurigram (2 Upazila), Satkhira ( 2 Upazila), Mymensingh ( 2 Upazila), Cox’s Bazar ( 2 Upazila)

Eligibility

• Proposals can only be submitted by non-governmental organizations registered in Bangladesh. The organization can submit the proposal as an individual entity or as a consortium, preferably a women’s rights/feminist organization. For a consortium, there must be a lead agency, and all other participating agencies must comply with eligibility criteria. The Lead agency will submit the proposal on behalf of the consortium. The detail of the consortium partner/s and the scope, result area of work of the partner within the project framework need to be mentioned in the proposal.  Coordination and monitoring mechanism among the partners also need to be detail out in the proposal. Local women led organization are preferable as consortium partners(s). 

• Technical/Functional competencies required:

  • Experience in developing and implementing capacity building, and advocacy, strategies on political and electoral system in Bangladesh.

  • Experience in working on women’s political participation and leadership and gender responsive governance 

  • Thematic expertise on feminist methodologies/approaches is an asset.

  • Previous work experience with the Bangladesh Election Commission would be an added advantage. 

  • Relevant experience in partnership with UN Women or other UN Agencies, government, and other development actors would be an advantage.

• Operational competencies required: 

  • Organizational profile having adequate permanent human resources and other office equipment and logistic support. 

  • Financial Capability should be shown as financial turnover supported by a registered audit firm for the last three years.   

Post Date: June 24, 2025