As part of DI’s Democratic Participation and Reform (DPR) program in Bangladesh, Democracy International and the League of Women Voters [1] have partnered on an outreach initiative that aims to increase political participation for women throughout the country. To kick off this partnership, Zaida Arguedas [2], Deputy Executive Director of the League of Women Voters, traveled to Dhaka for two weeks and met with International and Bangladeshi NGOs, political party women’s leaders, Members of Parliament, and USAID representatives, among others.
Along with members from DI’s Dhaka office, Ms. Arguedas visited DI’s regional office in Bogra to participate in two roundtables, one focused on women’s issues and the other on grassroots political party issues. In addition, Ms. Arguedas was the keynote speaker at the Modhupur Town Hall, the third in a series of town halls that DI is hosting, which focused on minority populations in general and specifically on the Garo, the largest tribal community in that district.
The League of Women Voters has partnered with DI to provide advice and technical assistance on women’s political empowerment, media outreach, educational campaigns, advocacy, strategic planning, volunteer management, and political forums. The League of Women Voters works as a nonpartisan political organization to strengthen governmental processes, improve public policies through citizen education and engagement, and bolster advocacy at all levels of government in the U.S. and abroad.
Links:
[1] http://www.lwv.org/
[2] http://www.lwv.org/content/democratic-participation-and-reform-bangladesh
[3] http://www.democracyinternational.com/sites/default/files/Borga Round Table.jpg
