NGO Law Monitor: Bangladesh

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Last updated 8 May 2012

Introduction

Bangladesh is endowed with a rich tradition and culture of philanthropy. Religions that attempted to overcome social stratification and seclusion flourished here in past centuries. The civic tradition was reinforced following the devastating war for liberation in 1971, when a host of “self-help groups” emerged to provide relief and rehabilitation, and to support development. At the same time, however, given the legacy of colonial and authoritarian military administration, civil society remains in a formative stage.

Today in Bangladesh, mainstream civil society organizations (CSOs) are mostly philanthropic groups, citizen coalitions, and private voluntary agencies. Many CSOs seek to serve under-served or neglected populations, to expand the freedom of or to empower people, to engage in advocacy for social change, and to provide services. The exact number of CSOs in Bangladesh is unknown. According to one estimate, the number of CSOs registered with various governmental authorities totals 250,000. Among these, it is estimated that less than 50,000 organizations are active.

Bangladesh has a unitary government with a Westminster-style parliamentary system, governed by a Constitution that is the supreme law of the Republic.

At a Glance

Organizational Forms	Societies	Trusts	Non-profit companies
Registration Body	Registrar of Companies	Registrar of Trusts	Registrar of Companies
Approximate Number	At least 21 members	At least 15 members	At least 11 members
Barriers to Entry	Foreigners, non-citizens, and minors prohibited from serving as founders. Bureaucratic hurdles delay the registration process	Foreigners, non-citizens, and minors prohibited from serving as founders. Bureaucratic hurdles delay the registration process	Foreigners, non-citizens, and minors prohibited from serving as founders. Bureaucratic hurdles delay the registration process
Barriers to Activities	All forms of CSOs are subject to termination for the non-submission of reports. Annual reports are mandatory. Government representatives may attend internal CSO meetings.	All forms of CSOs are subject to termination for the non-submission of reports. Annual reports are mandatory. Government representatives may attend internal CSO meetings.	All forms of CSOs are subject to termination for the non-submission of reports. Annual reports are mandatory. Government representatives may attend internal CSO meetings.
Barriers to Speech and/or Advocacy	No legal barriers	No legal barriers	No legal barriers
Barriers to International Contact	No legal barriers	No legal barriers	No legal barriers
Barriers to Resources	A CSO seeking to receive or use foreign donations must obtain approval, known as FD Registration, from the NGOAB	A CSO seeking to receive or use foreign donations must obtain approval, known as FD Registration, from the NGOAB	A CSO seeking to receive or use foreign donations must obtain approval, known as FD Registration, from the NGOAB

Key Indicators

Population	161,083,804 (2012 est.)
Capital	Dhaka
Type of Government	Parliamentary Democracy
Life Expectancy at Birth	Male: 68.21 years Female: 71.98 years (2011 est.)
Literacy Rate	Male: 54% Female: 41.4% (2008)
Religious Groups	Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, others 0.9% (2004)
Ethnic Groups	Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
GDP Per Capita	$1700 (2011 est.)

Source: The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2010.

International Rankings

Ranking Body	Rank	Ranking Scale (best - worst possible)
UN Human Development Index	146	1 – 182
World Bank Rule of Law Index	26.5	100 – 0
World Bank Voice & Accountability Index	38.4	100 – 0
Transparency International	134	1 – 180
Freedom House: Freedom in the World	Status: Partly Free Political Rights Score: 3 Civil Liberties Score: 4	Free/Partly Free/Not Free 1 – 7 1 – 7
Foreign Policy: Failed States Index	Rank: 25 Human Rights: 7.1	177 – 1 0 – 10

Legal Snapshot

International and Regional Human Rights Agreements

Key International Agreements	Ratification*	Year
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)	Yes	2000
Optional Protocol to ICCPR (ICCPR-OP1)	No	--
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)	Yes	1998
Optional Protocol to ICESCR (OP-ICESCR)	No	--
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)	Yes	1979
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)	Yes	1984
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (OP-CEDAW)	Yes	2000
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)	Yes	1990
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW)	No	--
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)	No	--
Key Regional Agreements	Ratification*	Year
South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC)	Yes	1985
South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA)	Yes	1994

* Category includes ratification, accession, or succession to the treaty

Constitutional Framework

The Constitution of Bangladesh was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh on November 4, 1972. Relevant clauses corresponding to fundamental rights enunciated in the Constitution include:

37. Freedom of assembly: Every citizen shall have the right to assemble and to participate in public meetings and processions peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of public order health.
38. Freedom of association: Every citizen shall have the right to form associations or unions, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of morality or public order.
39. Freedom of thought and conscience, and of speech: (i) Freedom of thought and conscience is guaranteed. (ii) Subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence (a) the right of every citizen to freedom of speech and expression; and freedom of the press, are guaranteed.

National Laws and Regulations Affecting Sector

Two broad categories of legislation – laws of incorporation and regulatory laws – make up the legal environment within which civil society organizations (CSOs) operate in Bangladesh.

Laws of incorporation, enabling organizations to function with a management structure and legal status, include the following:

The Societies Registration Act, 1860;
The Trust Act, 1882; and
The Companies Act, 1913 (amended in 1994).

Regulatory laws have been introduced to encourage CSOs to register with government agencies irrespective of their legal status. A CSO that is denied registration under these regulatory laws remains a CSO, if it is duly incorporated under any of the previously mentioned Acts. Relevant “regulatory laws” include the following:

The Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies Ordinance, 1961;
The Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Rules, 1978; and
The Microfinance Regulatory Law, 2006.

A brief description of each law follows below.

Societies Registration Act, 1860
During British rule, CSOs were regulated as “literary, scientific and charitable societies” through the Societies Registration Act. The Act provides for registration with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies under the Ministry of Commerce for the following types of societies:

charitable societies;
societies established for the promotion of science, literature or the fine arts;
societies established for instruction, the diffusion of knowledge and political education;
societies established for educational and medical services;
societies established for the foundation or maintenance of libraries or reading rooms for use by members of the public; and
public museums and galleries of paintings and other works of art, and collections of natural history, mechanical and philosophical inventions.

The Trust Act, 1882
This Act was designed to accommodate private trusts without affecting the already existing Muslim and Hindu laws for religious endowments. It is administered by the Registrar of Trusts and allows for autonomy of the organization as long as the trustees honor the terms and conditions of the Deed of Trust.

The Companies Act, 1913 (amended in 1994)
This Act provides legal status to non-profit companies. Some CSOs and foundations seek registration under the Act for the sake of convenience. The Registrar of Joint Stock Companies under the Ministry of Commerce is the registration authority.

Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies Ordinance, 1961
The Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance was promulgated in 1961 “to expedite the registration and control of voluntary social welfare agencies and for matters ancillary thereto.” A “voluntary social welfare agency” is defined as an “organization, association or undertaking established by persons of their own free will for the purpose of rendering welfare services in any one or more of the fields mentioned in the schedule and depending for its resources on public subscriptions, donations or government aid.” The Director of the Department of Social Services (DOSS) under the Ministry of Social Welfare is the registration authority.

Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Rules, 1978
This was promulgated in 1978 to regulate the receipt and expenditure of foreign donations by CSOs. CSOs are required to submit certain information to the government in a prescribed form to obtain approval for undertaking projects with donations received from outside of the country or from aid-giving agencies of foreign origin working inside the country. Prior approval is also required if a CSO wishes to use the services of a volunteer from outside the country.

Microfinance Regulatory Law, 2006
CSOs involved in micro-credit operations are to be registered with the Microfinance Regulatory Authority (MRA) under this law.

Pending NGO Legislative / Regulatory Initiatives

The NGO Affairs Bureau, which is a regulatory body authorized to coordinate and regulate the activities of CSOs operating with foreign funding, released the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Act 2011 and has invited comment. The goal of the draft Act is to amend the 1978 Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Ordinance and to integrate the 1982 Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Ordinance into it. The draft Act preserves many of the existing barriers to the receipt of foreign donations and contributions. In particular, the draft Act, if enacted, would:

Prohibit individuals and organizations from receiving foreign donations/contributions for the purpose of carrying out any voluntary activity without prior government approval.
Require all organizations wishing to receive and use foreign donations/contributions to register with the NGO Affairs Bureau.
Require all organizations seeking to carry out activities with foreign donations to secure advance project approval.
Require every NGO registered with the Bureau to establish a board of directors (consisting of at least 7 members) and a general board (consisting of 21 members).

Legal Analysis

Organizational Forms

Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bangladesh may be either membership organizations or non-membership organizations. Membership organizations include indigenous and community-based organizations (CBOs), such as village-level clubs, mass organizations, religious organizations, and trade organizations. Many of these organizations are not registered. Registered membership organizations are generally registered under the Co-operative Societies Act. Non-membership organizations may be organized as a trust or as a non-profit company.

All CSOs can be grouped into three categories corresponding to regulatory laws, source of funds, and sphere of activities.

(a) The overwhelming majority of CSOs are recognized as voluntary social welfare organizations (VSWO). Typically, VSWOs are small and operate locally with funds mobilized from local donations and government grants. Activities are primarily implemented by local volunteers. As of December 2009, 56,966 VSWOs were registered with the Department of Social Services.
(b) Organizations that operate with grants from external sources are generally perceived as “development NGO(s)” and are registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau. Of the 2,535 organizations that were registered as of June 2010, 2,305 CSOs are of local origin and 230 are foreign/international organizations operating with an office in Bangladesh. VSWOs that receive donations from external sources are registered with the NGOAB as well. As of January 12, 2012, there are 2,090 NGOs registered with the NGOAB. The NGOAB had cancelled the registration of 525 NGOs as of January 11, 2012.
(c) As of July 2010, there were 527 CSOs working as microfinance institutions (MFIs). MFIs may also fall into either or both of the above categories.

Public Benefit Status

All CSOs are exempt from corporate tax under the provision of the Income Tax Ordinance of 1984. Income generated from profit-earning activities must be spent for charitable purposes and not appropriated by any individual in the form of dividends.

Both corporations and individuals are able to claim a tax deduction for donations made for 22 designated public benefit purposes, including donations for old age homes, forestation, waste treatment plants, care for the disabled, potable water supply, education for orphans and street children, specialized hospitals for treatment of the extreme poor, public universities, etc. Corporate donors may deduct the amount of the donation up to 10% of their taxable income. Individual donors may deduct the amount of the donation up to 20% of their taxable income, but not exceeding Taka 100,000 (approximately US $1,380). Claiming a tax deduction requires prior approval from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) under the Ministry of Finance. The NBR gives a tax exemption certificate if the concerned donor fulfills all obligations as per the provisions of the labor law and pays all other taxes.

Barriers to Entry

Several barriers to the formation, establishment and registration of CSOs are worthy of mention.

First, the required number of minimum members is inordinately high. To register under the Companies Act as a non-profit company, an organization must have a minimum of 11 members. To register under the Societies Registration Act (SRA) as a society, an organization must have at least three times the number of members in the Executive Committee (EC); since CSOs registered under SRA must have an EC of at least seven members, it follow that a society must have at least 21 founding members. For organizations registered under the Trust Act, the minimum number of members (Trustees) is five, and the number of general members must be at least three times more than the number of Trustees, that is at least 15.

Second, membership of CSOs, irrespective of where they register, is limited to adult citizens of Bangladesh. Thus, non-citizens and minors are excluded from founding or belonging to CSOs. In addition, government employees are barred from becoming office bearers (members of executive committees).

Third, the organization must possess a furnished office with proper address and signboard to be eligible for registration. This amounts to an asset requirement and acts as a substantial barrier to registration.

Fourth, for registration under the SRA and the Companies Act, an organization must pay a registration fee of Taka 2,000 (approx. US $28) and Taka 15,000 (approx. US $207) respectively. For trusts with assets of Taka 20,000 (approx. US $276) or less, the trust must pay a fee of Taka 2,540 (approx. US $35) for registration under the Trust Act. The fee is higher for higher levels of the value of assets.

Fifth, CSOs that seek funding from external sources must register, additionally, with the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB), which operates within the Ministry of Establishment. Banks do not allow the opening of an account by any organization that does not possess valid registration and will not disburse any foreign funds without prior approval from the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) and a letter of intent from the donor. For registration with the NGOAB, the organization must submit, in addition to an application, particulars of their bank account, a letter of intent from the donor, a copy of an annual activity report, and a copy of a financial audit report. NGOAB has to approve it within 90 days (60 days in case of renewal of registration) or may seek further clarification. The registration fee is Taka 10,000 (approx. US $138).

Sixth and finally, the registration process itself is complicated by bureaucratic hurdles and delays. Notably:

Registration requires clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which must be accomplished within 60 days, though in practice it takes longer.
Registration is sometimes delayed on the pretext of police verification, and registration is sometimes denied due to an adverse police report corresponding to “prejudicial activities.” Prior clearance from National Security Intelligence (NSI) was recently made mandatory for registration under the SRA. It is an “open secret” that organizations pay bribes to officials of the registration authority in different forms to avoid delay and harassment.
Regarding registration with the NGO Affairs Bureau, the NGOAB reserves the right to reject an application if it is not “satisfied” with the objectives, constitution, or plan of operation; CSOs do not have a right to appeal. Moreover, the registration is valid only for five years. During this period, the NGOAB has the power to cancel the registration. To renew the registration, a fresh application for registration for another five year period must be submitted six months prior to the expiration date.

Barriers to Operational Activity

The government tends to see itself as the sole organ responsible for development and often makes stringent rules and regulations for CSOs in the field of development that burden their operational activities. CSOs are often under attack by the government bureaucracy and are criticized for the “privatization of development.” CSOs that are critical of government policies are sometimes branded as anti-state and are harassed in many ways, including the blocking of disbursement of foreign funds, delays of project approval, and even cancellation of registration.

While the facilitating role of the government was manifested with the creation of the NGOAB for one-stop service and easing of regulatory measures, the general attitude of some in the bureaucracy toward the voluntary sector remains largely passive and hostile. The government often perceives CSOs as a competitor for scarce overseas development assistance (ODA).

The government can suspend activities of a CSO or even cancel its registration for the non-submission of reports to its respective registration authority. So far, the NGOAB has cancelled the registration of 334 CSOs for alleged "unlawful activities" and cancellation for another 90 CSOs is being processed. Punitive measures can also be taken if the CSO is accused of a criminal offence. The wide scope of crimes punishable by death under the Anti-Terrorism Act, including "financing terrorist activities," carries a tremendous risk of irreversible miscarriage of justice, which may chill CSO members from engaging in certain economic activities.

Internal Affairs

Detailed requirements apply to the internal structure and affairs of all CSOs. Members of all CSOs, except cooperative societies, as per provision of their article of association, elect an Executive Committee (EC) or governing body comprising seven to 11 members, including a Chair, a General Secretary, and a Treasurer. This is applicable to all organizations irrespective of where they are registered.

An annual financial audit by a recognized firm is mandatory. At present, there are 71 audit firms registered with the NGOAB, from which a CSO has to choose for its audit.

Officials from the registration authority may attend EC meetings or the Annual General Meetings (AGMs), especially if invited in case of disputes among members. In case of a dispute, the registration authority may replace the existing EC with a new one of its choice. The EC is responsible for financial management through designated staff, and must function within the budget limits approved by the registration authority. Any change in the program and the budget requires prior approval from the authority.

The CSO is free to open an account in any scheduled bank. Only one bank account can be maintained for receiving foreign donations. Separate bank accounts for separate projects may be maintained for internal transactions after the donations are received.

The 1961 Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies Ordinance gives the government power to intervene in the management structure of a voluntary social welfare organization (VSWO). The DOSS, as the registration authority, is empowered to suspend the Executive Committee (EC) of a VSWO without giving any right to appeal, but the governing body of a VSWO cannot dissolve itself without the approval of the DOSS.

Reporting Obligations

CSOs must submit activity reports and audited financial reports of the preceding year, and activity plans (programs) and the budgets of the coming year to their respective registration authority on an annual basis. The government can suspend activities of a CSO or even cancel its registration for non-submission of reports to its respective registration authority.

Government Harassment

CSOs are sometimes subject to government harassment (e.g., frequent inspections, requests for documents, etc.) for political reasons (for example, where the government feels threatened by the advocacy work of a CSO). The affected CSO may find it difficult to access legal remedies, since the justice system is cumbersome, time consuming, and expensive.

Involuntary Dissolution

In case of involuntary dissolution, the government assumes ownership of the remaining assets and may re-constitute the Executive Committee for running the CSO.

Barriers to Speech / Advocacy

While there are no legal barriers limiting expressive or advocacy activities, CSOs are sometimes subject to government harassment in the form of frequent inspections or requests for documents (for example, where the government feels threatened by the advocacy work of a CSO). The affected CSO may find it difficult to access legal remedies, since the justice system is cumbersome, time consuming, and expensive. In other cases, the government may brand certain CSOs as “partisan” where these CSOs are critical of governmental actions and practices, such as ethnic discrimination, anti-poor labor law and wage policy, commercial extraction of natural resources, degradation of environment, or corruption.

Barriers to International Contact

CSOs are free to interact and cooperate among themselves and with donor agencies at home and abroad through any means of communication. There is no bar to attending conferences inside or outside the country. CSOs participate in UN and other international conferences as important stakeholders.

Barriers to Resources

The key legal barrier to CSO resources in Bangladesh relates to foreign funding. As mentioned previously, the government established the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) within the Ministry of Establishment to coordinate and regulate the activities of CSOs operating with foreign funding. A CSO seeking to receive or use foreign donations must obtain approval, known as the FD Registration, from the NGOAB. Separate approval for all projects is required from the NGOAB, irrespective of prior registration by any other authority. The NGOAB is now located in the Prime Minister’s Office and is responsible for all contact with CSOs under the Foreign Donations Regulation Rules, 1978.

Reports

UN Universal Periodic Review Reports	Universal Periodic Review: Bangladesh (2009)
Reports of UN Special Rapporteurs	Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders (2011)
U.S. State Department	2010 Human Rights Report: Bangladesh
Failed States Index Reports	Foreign Policy: Failed States Index 2011
IMF Country Reports	Bangladesh and the IMF
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law Online Library	Bangladesh

News and Additional Resources

While we aim to maintain information that is as current as possible, we realize that situations can rapidly change. If you are aware of any additional information or inaccuracies on this page, please keep us informed; write to ICNL at ngomonitor@icnl.org.

General News

Hillary Clinton’s remarks on civil society in Bangladesh (May 2012)
On May 5, Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech at the Prime Minister’s office in Dhaka, saying that: "... the civil society of Bangladesh has been a model and an inspiration for people in countries everywhere. It has made Bangladesh a home for innovation that has not only positively impacted the people of this country, but literally tens of millions around the world. If Bangladesh is to continue on the path of progress, it will be essential to maintain an environment where civil society groups operate freely…” She also added that, “I am very clear in my hopes for the continuing action on the part of this government of civil society or political actors, because ultimately, it is up to the people of Bangladesh who are the beneficiaries of a healthy, functioning democracy. Violent demonstrations like the recent hartals during which five lives were tragically lost exact a heavy toll, especially on Bangladesh's poorest and most vulnerable citizens…” (Read more)

NGOs' financial transactions to come under surveillance (April 2012)
The government has decided to examine the financial transactions of all non-government organisations (NGOs) operating in the country to unearth any kind of money laundering committed by micro-credit entities. The decision was taken last week at a meeting held at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) in response to the suggestion of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body engaged in combating money laundering and terror financing. FATF’s report on Bangladesh’s NGO sector detected potential cases of unethical activities and urged the government to implement measures to combat terror financing and money laundering to avert a downgrade from “grey” to “dark grey,” a level indicating government failure to address strategic financial deficiencies. (Read more)

39 NGOs announce information disclosure policy (April 2012)
Thirty-nine non-government organizations (NGOs) announced that they have voluntarily submitted information on their disclosure policies in line with the Right to Information (RTI) Act in order to make more information available to the public. Among these NGOs which monitor service delivery of the government agencies at local level across the country, 30 have already given approval to the information in their disclosure policies. (Read more)

Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 (Amendment) Bill 2012 passed in the Parliament (March 2012)
The Parliament passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2012 on February 16, 2012, which includes a provision for capital punishment as a maximum punishment. The Home Minister, Shahara Khatun, said the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill had been drafted to prevent various criminal activities and to safeguard the sovereignty of Bangladesh. The Bill makes the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009 even more vulnerable to the worst kinds of abuses. The widening of the scope of crimes punishable by death, now including financing terrorist activities, carries a tremendous risk of irreversible miscarriage of justice. The Bill was passed with virtually no consultation with, and despite strong opposition from, Bangladeshi civil society groups. (Read more)

NGOs’ socio-economic impact in Bangladesh (February 2012)
Bangladesh has made striking progress on a range of social indicators over the last 15 years, an achievement widely credited to the country's pluralist service provision regime. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have significantly expanded their services during this period and have shown that it is possible to scale up innovative anti-poverty experiments into nationwide programs. Notable innovations that were expanded include delivering credit to the previously "unbankable" poor, developing a non-formal education program to cater to poor children, particularly girls, and using thousands of village-based community health workers to provide doorstep services. The fact that poor women constitute a large proportion of NGO beneficiaries, despite the persistence of strong patriarchal norms, also testifies to the institutionalization of a large segment of NGO beneficiaries. (Read more)

WB appoints NGO to monitor its projects (February 2012)
The World Bank (WB), for the first time, has engaged an independent organization to monitor the projects it financially supports in Bangladesh aiming at bringing transparency and involving people with development. The Washington-based lender launched the third party monitoring approaches Wednesday in the city as it has appointed Manusher Jonno Foundation, a local non-governmental organization (NGO), to oversee the schemes financed by WB. (Read more)

EU pleads for strengthening human rights in Bangladesh (February 2012)
EU Ambassador William Hanna has stressed the strengthening of human rights in the country, saying that human rights are at the heart of the European Cooperation Agreement with Bangladesh. "There are some progresses in human rights in some areas, but I think there is lot to be done and there is a long way to go," he told UNB Monday on the eve of holding a seminar here on 'Human Rights and Decent Work' by European Union and Bangladesh Civil Society. (Read more)

NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) drafts bill on Foreign Donations Regulation (January 2012)
The NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) drafted a bill on Foreign Donations Regulation by integrating the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Ordinance of 1978 and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Ordinance of 1982. It is expected that the NGOAB will hold a consultation workshop with NGO representatives.

Secret killings a Government policy (January 2012)
At least 30 "undercover killings" - or "secret killings" took place in 2011, the human rights group Odhikar said in its annual report for 2011. The report said the state has taken the route of undercover killings "in the wake of national and international demand to stop extrajudicial killings". The report based its findings on data provided by human rights activists from different districts and media reports. According to the report, there were 154 reported extrajudicial killings in 2009 after the Awami League-led government took charge. The number decreased to 127 in 2010 and 84 in 2011.

UN Secretary General Remarks at Every Woman, Every Child Event (November 2011)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urges the expansion of Global Compact Network for benefit of society's poorest and most vulnerable. Read his remarks here.

The foregoing information was prepared by ICNL's local partner in Bangladesh, Mohiuddin Ahmad.