Call for Proposals: Strengthening Intergenerational and Inclusive Women’s Movement in Bangladesh

Deadline: 22-May-23

UN Women Bangladesh seeks to partner with a consortium/coalition of women-led CSOs/groups/networks with the objective of implementing initiatives to support the intergenerational women’s movement in Bangladesh.

The lead partner must have the operational capacity to convene intergenerational voices and perspective from national and grassroots women’s rights organizations, networks, groups, and women leaders and representatives, from diverse and marginalized groups, across the country.

• Ensure more women, girls, and sexual minorities benefit from an environment in which they are empowered to exercise their rights, agency, and decision-making power over all aspects of their lives and towards a life free from all forms of discrimination, violence, and harmful norms and practices (SN Outcome-1.4;linked to UNSDCF SP 5;

Contributing to SDG 5 Gender Equality and Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals) and output:

• Civil society, especially Women-Led Organizations’ and youth networks, have strengthened capacities, budgets, and access to platforms that facilitate their engagement with government actors and enable them to influence policies promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and eliminating violence against women.

Activities

• Organize intergenerational dialogues/consultations among women’s groups from different ages, ethnicities, geographical locations, and other variables, in at least 5 division/district-level.
• Ensure effective facilitation of the consultations between diverse groups. This may include
  • transmittingthe history of the women’s movement in Bangladesh,
  • discussing the national/country commitments and accountability to global normative processes and their relevance to the lives of grassroots women and advocacy with national and subnational duty bearers to address gender equalityconcerns and priorities,
  • identifying key gender equality aspirations of women’s rights organizations to prioritise gender equality in the current socio-economic context, and
  • supportingintergenerational leadership capacity.
• Develop a Charter of Demand (maximum 2 pages in English and Bangla by Quarter 4, 2023), using a participatory approach and informed by the mentioned dialogues/consultations, summarizing the top priorities for advocacy on gender equality and women’s leadership in the socio-economic context, particularly in light of the LDC graduation, post-COVID-19 related recovery and the upcoming 9th Five Year Plan.  This includes:
  • Developand implement a dissemination/advocacy plan for the Charter of Demand, for advocacy with relevant stakeholders including government, parliamentarians, development partners and other CSOs.  The plan should mention channels of dissemination including through online spaces like website, social media and offline spaces like press release, events etc.
  • Ensure the Charter is formatted, designed, and printed for wider dissemination (minimum 2,000 copies each).
• Develop a position paper (not exceeding 50 pages in English and Bangla by Quarter 3, 2024) – highlighting the situation of women’s empowerment and gender equality and the leadership role of the women’s movement. The paper documents the history of the women’s movements, achievements, challenges that continue, details the unfinished agenda and key priorities for the next decade:
  • Organizing a validation event with relevant stakeholders and experts to finalize the position paper.
  • Developing and implementing a dissemination plan for both the position paper, for wide reach among relevant stakeholders including government and development partners. The plan should mention channels of dissemination including through online spaces like website, social media and offline spaces like press release, events etc.
  • Organizing a dissemination event (in October 2024)to present the position paper and share its findings with all relevant stakeholders including government and development partners, media, academia.
  • Ensure the position paper is formatted, designed, and printed for wider dissemination (minimum 2,000 copies each).
  • Develop a planfor the consortium to continue theadvocacy momentum initiated through this effort.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal should be (USD 30000Min. – USD 45000Max. )]

•  Facilitate intergenerational dialogues among women’s groups from different ages, ethnicities, geographical locations, and other variables to strengthen feminist movement building and leadership. The objective of these dialogues are to
  • exchange views between diverse groups to transmit the history of the women’s movement and knowledge to create a culture of inclusiveness and plurality,
  •  identify key gender equality aspirations of women’s rights organizations to prioritise gender equality in the current socio-economic context, and
  • support intergenerational women’s leadershipto discuss country commitments and accountability to global normative processes and their relevance to the lives ofwomen especially from grassroots level and advocacy with national and subnational duty bearers to address gender equality concerns and priorities.
• Develop, using a participatory approach, a position paper (between 30 –50 pages, not exceeding 50 pages) highlighting the situation of women’s empowerment and gender equality and the leadership role of the women’s movement.
• Reflections on the current women’s empowerment and gender equality context may be guided by questions, including but not limited to:
  • How do we push back against the push back on gender equality? What can we learn from other social movements in Bangladesh and apply to advance gender equality? How is Bangladesh’s cultural movement engaging with the women’s movements to advance gender equality? What are the new potential partnerships that are emerging across stakeholders to challenge discriminatory and harmful social norms and practices? What is needed to sustain and grow civil society and the women’s movement in the current context? What are the common priorities or demands of gender equality advocates, networks, activities, and groups across political, economic, social, and cultural contexts of Bangladesh?
• The paper should document the history of the women’s movements, achievements, challenges that continue, detail the unfinished agenda for women’s empowerment and gender equality and key priorities for the next decade.
• Develop, using a participatory approach, aCharter of Demand (2 pager in English and Bangla) summarizing the top priorities for advocacy on gender equality and women’s leadership in the evolving socio-economic context, particularly in light of LDC graduation, post-COVID-19recovery, and the upcoming 9th Five Year Plan.

Competencies

• Technical/functional competencies required
  • The lead partner applying on behalf of the consortium/coalition should be legally registered in Bangladesh. The agreement and structure between the consortium members should be clearly outlined in the proposal, including the division of roles and responsibilities. The lead partner shall ensure that each consortium/coalition member agrees in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Partner Agreement relevant to the portion of the work or services to be performed by such.
  • Extensive experience, minimum 15 years, working on gender equality and women’s rights issues, including in economic, political, social, or legal domains at the national and sub regional level in Bangladesh.
  • Operational capacity to convene intergenerational voices and perspective from national and grassroots women’s rights organizations, networks, groups, and women leaders and representatives, from diverse and marginalized groups, across the country.
  • Experience in developing and implementing advocacy initiatives.
  • Experience in organizing multi-stakeholder events, dialogues, forums, workshops, among other.
• Other competencies, which while not required, can be an asset for the performance of services
  • Relevant experience in partnership with UN Women or other UN Agencies, government, CSOs networks and other development actors would be an advantage.

For more information, visit UN Women.