“What Kind of Civil Society Organizations Do We Want?” – Bangladesh’s CSO Alliance launches Regional Dialogues 2025 to reimagine NGOs amid funding crises and democratic challenges, uniting leaders like BRAC and BLAST to debate accountability, rights-based advocacy, and sustainable local solutions.
In light of Bangladesh’s continued journey of development and democracy, civil society organizations (CSOs/NGOs) have long played a vital role in advancing education, health, agriculture, disaster management, and human rights. However, recent political and economic realities, coupled with a 30% decline in foreign funding, have placed the sector at a critical crossroads. In response, the CSO Alliance is organizing “Regional Dialogues 2025” across four (4) regions of Bangladesh under the central theme, “What Kind of Civil Society Organizations, Do We Want?” As part of this dialogue, the first consultation will be held in Rajshahi at the Conference Hall-1 of Rajshahi Novo Theatre on Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
Previously, the CSO Alliance engaged with policymakers on the Income Tax Act 2023 and NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) circulars, leading to key advocacy achievements despite limited legislative changes. It is now focusing on regional consultations to address ongoing challenges faced by grassroots NGOs. Concurrently, the Alliance is formalizing its structure with a new Executive Committee co-led by Barrister Sara Hossain ((BLAST) and Asif Saleh (BRAC), and a 21-member inclusive Governing Body.
The Regional Dialogues aim to collaboratively shape a framework for inclusive, accountable, and sustainable civil society organizations based on insights from grassroots stakeholders across the country. In Regional Dialogue 2025, the key discussion themes are, ‘’Service vs. Rights – How to balance service delivery with rights-based advocacy; Accountability to People – Ensuring CSOs are answerable not just to donors, but to citizens; Funding Ethics & Transparency – Reducing foreign aid dependency and exploring local, innovative funding; Policy Engagement – Strengthening CSO involvement in democratic policymaking.’
Distinguished guests from political, academic, administrative, and civil society sectors will attend, including Asif Saleh (BRAC), Barrister Sara Hossain (BLAST), and Shaheen Anam (MJF). The event will feature a keynote on “50 Years of NGOs in Bangladesh”, a panel discussion, open roundtable, and concluding summary. Insights from the dialogues will feed into a National Workshop, advocacy campaigns for political manifestos, and high-level consultations to strengthen an inclusive, people-centered, democratic civil society.