Astha - Election Support Project

Direct target group: 500 representatives of Bangladesh Election Commission will receive capacity building support. Around 250’000 people of Bangladesh, especially from marginalised communities, women, youth groups, and indigenous peoples will benefit. 

Indirect target group: (i) One million citizens reached through and defended by the supported civil society organisations. In focus are women, youth, and minority groups. (ii) In the long run, all Bangladeshi citizens can be counted as indirect target group, since all will benefit from a more peaceful, just, and inclusive governance system. 

Outcome 1: The Bangladesh Election Commission is enabled to implement and reform its own policies, is supported to build up capacity to ensure free, and fair elections and has established a complaint mechanism that is able to address conflicts. 

Outcome 2: Through the project’s support better-informed youth will demonstrate increased political participation and engagement thanks to civic education, voter mobilisation, and issue-based policy dialogues. 

Outcome 3: Active and tolerant democratic spaces promoted by civil society and media, through policy dialogue, public outreach and community, achieved by preventing pre-, during and post-electoral violence.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

Output 1.1: Legal framework for electoral procedures, and dispute resolution during the electoral process is strengthened and practiced. 

Output 1.2: Accountable electoral management is ensured by ethical and accountable electoral professionals. 

Output 1.3: Election related real-time database, communication strategies and technologies to enable digital election monitoring systems are introduced. 

Output 2.1: Mass-awareness campaigns are conducted and youth voters are adequately educated to cast votes and are aware of the importance of promoting tolerance. 

Output 2.2: Media outlets disseminate electoral information to their audience. 

Output 3.1: Community-based organisations are sensitised and equipped to prevent communal and electoral violence. 

Output 3.2: Voices of women and minority groups are amplified during the electoral cycle by civil society organisations and media partners.

• PACTA by Transparency International Bangladesh (Switzerland, GBR and SWE)
• Aspire to Innovation (a2i) project (Government of Bangladesh) 
• Aparajita - Women’s Political Empowerment (Switzerland) 
• Nagorikata (Switzerland) 
• EU, USAID and FCDO supported different election projects