Staff Reporter :
Over 100 civil society activists, leaders from marginalized communities, former policymakers, and government officials convened on Wednesday for the closing ceremony of the Promoting Advocacy and Rights (PAR) Activity. The program was held at the Amari Hotel in Dhaka.
During the event, youth and women leaders from Dalit, Cobbler, and slum communities presented advocacy achievements of citizen-led, cross-sectoral partnerships between civil society, government, and the private sector to improve their communities’ priority issues.
In addition, event participants presented plans to further sustain progress on these priority issues.
Saidur Rahman, Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau, said, “I applaud PAR’s civil society achievements and am hopeful that there will be support for similar initiatives moving forward.”
Alena Tansey, USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Office Director provided remarks at the event noting, “While this project is coming to an end, the approaches we’ve employed are perhaps as important as ever in this country’s evolution towards a more democratic society. I hope we continue to leverage this powerful model for bringing citizens, civil society organizations, and local government together to protect human rights, advocate for progressive reforms, and pave the way towards greater prosperity for all people.”
In addition, former and current policymakers, Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary and Barrister Rumeen Farhana, shared their recommendations for moving the priority issues of marginalized communities forward. Patwary said, “We are thankful for the bridge that PAR established between government, civil society and the marginalized people. The anti-discrimination law must be passed as soon as possible.”
Katie Croake, Chief of Party, Counterpart International, thanked PAR’s grantees and community members for their partnership and contributions and said, “With your impressive dedication, confidence, and resilience, I’m confident that your work to improve the lives of the most marginalized communities in Bangladesh is unstoppable.”
