Bangladesh holds a National Consultation ahead of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4)

Author: Nubayra Jeheen

Dhaka, Bangladesh — A national consultation on “Advancing Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) Outcome” was jointly organized by the Citizen’s Platform for the SDGs and UN Women Bangladesh, bringing together policymakers, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth, academia, media, and development partners to explore how GRB can be further leveraged to address persistent gender inequalities and financing gaps.

With Bangladesh approaching its graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026, the consultation emphasized the urgency of embedding equality into national budgetary priorities. Experts noted that GRB in Bangladesh still falls short in translating intent into effective, operational allocations despite significant progress. Structural gaps in implementation, monitoring, and transparency remain pressing challenges.

GRB has been part of the country’s public finance framework for over a decade —with gender integration into the Medium—Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF), the use of the Recurrent, Capital, Gender and Poverty (RCGP) model, and the regular publication of the Gender Budget Reports (GBR) -. The introduction of the Gender Finance Tracking (GFT) model via the iBAS++ system marks an important step forward. However, experts noted that a stronger focus is needed on results-oriented budgeting, to ensure that budgetary allocations are more responsive to the actual needs on the ground. Moreover, speakers pointed out that despite budget allocations, actual disbursement and tracking remain weak, often leading to reallocation or underutilization of gender-marked funds.

Gitanjali Singh, UN Women Bangladesh Representative, underscored the importance of linking climate and gender budgeting. “We need to align gender-responsive budgeting and climate budgeting for greater impact in the LDC graduation context. Gender mainstreaming in climate policies must not be reduced to a superficial ‘tick-box’ exercise, missing its transformative potential.”

The consultation also brought attention to the stark gendered impact of macro- economic shocks. As highlighted by the Citizen’s Platform for the SDGs, 2.1 million people in Bangladesh lost their jobs in the past year, and 86 per cent of them were women. This reinforces the urgent need to link public financing with inclusive economic recovery and gender-transformative investments.

Panelists reflected on lessons from the grassroots. Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and Bonhishikha presented the Charter of Demand, calling for accountability, data transparency, and participatory budgeting to ensure public resources reach the women and communities who need them most.

CSO and youth representatives emphasized the importance of ensuring that budget discussions are not limited to central government forums but extended to local levels where the impacts of budgeting decisions are most deeply felt. They called for stronger involvement of grassroots actors in shaping, monitoring, and evaluating budget decisions.

Participants also called for strengthening inter-ministerial coordination and local government involvement to improve the effectiveness of GRB allocations; moving beyond input-based reporting to outcome-oriented budgeting that tangibly improves outcomes for women and marginalized groups and expanding GRB beyond ministries traditionally focused on women and children to include sectors like planning, finance, disaster response, and climate adaptation.

This dialogue reaffirmed the shared commitment of stakeholders to mainstream gender equality into public finance, in alignment with the CSW69 Political Declaration, urging governments to allocate resources in ways that address structural barriers and fulfill the ambitions of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 2030 Agenda. As the world marks Beijing+30 and prepares for FfD4, this consultation served as a timely reminder that financing for gender equality must be bold, inclusive, and results-driven.

See also

• Trigger presentation on State of the Bangladesh Economy from a Gender Lens, Citizens' Platform for the SDGs
• Trigger presentation on Gender Responsive Budgeting in Bangladesh (Reflections), UN Women Bangladesh
• Trigger presentation on Charter of Demand and Financing for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and Bonhishikha