Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The United States of America, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), opened the South Asia Women Parliamentarians Conference in the capital Dhaka on Sunday.
Over one hundred women parliamentarians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have traveled to Bangladesh to participate in the four-day conference.
Designed to build linkages and strengthen communication within and across borders, the conference will include panel discussions, group sessions and site visits.
The conference will also serve to launch a regional network of the women parliamentarians.
Promoting Democratic Institutions and Practices (PRODIP), a USAID program, works to increase women’s participation in public policymaking and legislative processes. PRODIP works closely with the Parliament, members of Parliament and civil society partners to strengthen democratic governance in Bangladesh.
PRODIP assists Parliament to improve its lawmaking and oversight capability; strengthen its committees; increase public awareness of its functions; and create opportunities for increased public input into the development of national policy.
It also supports civil society by leading workshops on how policies and laws are made and how civil society can maximize its effectiveness through participation in the legislative process.
PRODIP’s overall objective is to ensure that Parliament is strengthened as an effective, open, and accountable body of democratic governance.
The U.S. Government, through USAID, has provided over $5.8 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since 1971. In 2011 alone, USAID provided more than $180 million to improve the lives of people in Bangladesh.
USAID supports programs in Bangladesh that: promote democratic institutions and practices, expand food security and economic opportunity, improve health and education services, and increase resiliency to climate change through adaptation and low carbon development.
BBN/SSR/AD-08July12-2:56 pm (BST)
