Guideline for PRODIP Grant Applicants

The project aims to contribute to USAID/Bangladesh's development goals in the area of "Good Governance" under the Governing Justly and Democratically Program Objective of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Framework. The primary objective of PRODIP is to strengthen the democratic governance in Bangladesh by working closely with the Parliament of Bangladesh and civil society partners. To achieve this goal, PRODIP will implement a comprehensive, two-pronged program to strengthen the democratic governance in Bangladesh. The first prong will focus on assisting the 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. The second prong will focus on helping civil society to understand how policies and laws are made and how it can maximize its effectiveness in participating in the process. Under the demand side of the program, PRODIP will provide grants to create a more constructive role for Civil Society in Democratic Governance. The PRODIP Team will support and facilitate networking and cooperation between civil society organizations, public interest groups, research institutions, the media, and other non-governmental stakeholders that share a common commitment to assist Parliament to become an effective and credible institution that takes account of citizen views and interests and welcomes public inputs in policy formulation and oversight. The specific intermediate-level results of PRODIP include improved parliamentary lawmaking and oversight capacity, a stronger parliamentary committee system, increased public awareness of and participation in parliamentary functions and processes, increased institutional capacity of CSOs to advance public participation in democratic governance, more active roles for CSOs and research institutions in informing and monitoring public policy, and more active roles for CSOs and the media in educating the public on democratic processes and practices. The program approach of PRODIP focuses on addressing issues of common concern to Bangladesh's citizens, motivating and inspiring MPs and members of civil society alike to work together constructively and effectively. PRODIP will make a concerted effort to involve Members from all parties and the CSOs which share their interests in Program activities. The program will also establish District Public Policy Forums (DPPFs) to engage Members of Parliament, government officials, and CSOs in discussing policy issues and forging linkages between MPs and CSOs at the District and local levels. The PRODIP project will be implemented over a period of five years, with a focus on building the capacity of the Parliament and civil society to work together effectively. The project will provide grants to civil society organizations to support their participation in the policy process and will establish DPPFs to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between MPs and CSOs. The ultimate goal of PRODIP is to contribute to the development of a more effective and responsive democratic institution in Bangladesh.