- Basic Info
- Contact
- Work & Expertise
- Current Commitment
- Past Commitment
- Resource
Basic Information
Organization Name:
Barisal Unnyon Sangstha (BUS)Organization Regions:
- Asia/Pacific
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Organization Country Location:
Bangladesh -
Organization City/Locality:
Barishal
Organization mission and work description:
To establish the poor and vulnerable people, especially the women & gilrs in the society through making them capable, self-sufficient, self-governed and self-initiators through building capacity, institution, capital, utilization of local resource and imparting felt-need based problem solving programs by involving necessary skilled, trained-up and experienced staff members.
Organization's Contacts
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Primary Contact Name:
Md. Shafiqul Islam -
Primary Contact Title:
Executive Director
Additional Contacts Names:
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Additional representative #1:
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Additional representative #2:
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Additional representative #3:
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Additional representative #4:
OUR INTERNATIONAL COALITION IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 400 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
Learn about TAP Members & Partners
WHO ARE TAP'S MEMBERS?Organization's Work & Expertise
Organization's SGD16 Expertise:
- 16.2 - End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
- 16.3 - Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
- 16.b - Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
Organization's Areas of Expertise:
- Spotlight Reporting
Current Commitment to SDG16+
Summary of commitment:
Barisal Unnayon Sangstha (BUS) and the Commitment to SDG 16 Barisal Unnayon Sangstha (BUS) is deeply committed to implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions in Barisal, Bangladesh. Our work is fundamentally aligned with the goal's premise that sustainable development is impossible without promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Based on our established mission, which notably includes advancing girls' rights and leadership and combating child marriage, BUS's SDG 16 commitment focuses on the following key targets: 1. Promoting Access to Justice and Safety (Target 16.3 & 16.1) Our core work to end child marriage directly contributes to Target 16.2 (ending abuse, exploitation, and violence against children). This involves: Legal Aid and Awareness: Organizing legal literacy workshops, particularly for young women and rural families, to inform them of their rights regarding child marriage, domestic violence, and inheritance. Case Advocacy: Providing support and linkage to local legal aid services for victims of violence and those seeking to annul child marriages, promoting the rule of law at the community level. Reducing Violence: By keeping girls in school and empowering them, we significantly reduce their vulnerability to early marriage, exploitation, and other forms of violence. 2. Developing Effective and Accountable Institutions (Target 16.6 & 16.7) BUS recognizes that strong local governance is essential for lasting change. We work to enhance institutional quality through: Community Participation: Encouraging and facilitating the participation of young women and marginalized groups in local government (Union Parishad) planning and decision-making processes, ensuring responsive and inclusive governance. Transparency and Accountability: Organizing public hearings or social accountability meetings between local citizens and public service providers (e.g., schools, police, health clinics) to demand greater accountability and reduce opportunities for local corruption (Target 16.5). 3. Ensuring Legal Identity and Empowerment (Target 16.9) A legal identity is a gateway to exercising all other rights. Birth Registration Drives: We conduct campaigns in rural areas to ensure timely and universal birth registration for all children, a crucial step for proving age and preventing child marriage. This provides the legal foundation for citizens to access social services and justice. In Barisal, BUS leverages its community-based structure to localize these SDG 16 targets, ensuring our commitment translates into tangible improvements in peace, safety, and governance for the most vulnerable populations.
Organization's priorities and work in relation to commitment:
Relating BUS's Work to the TAP Network on SDG16+ Accountability Barisal Unnayon Sangstha’s (BUS) local, community-focused commitment to SDG 16 directly aligns with the broader global mission of the Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network. The TAP Network is a broad coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) dedicated to ensuring that open, inclusive, accountable, effective governance and peaceful societies (SDG16+) are central to the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Here is how BUS's local efforts in Barisal connect to the TAP Network's global priorities: 1. Focus on Civil Society-Led Accountability The TAP Network's primary goal is to empower CSOs to hold governments accountable for the SDGs. BUS's Action: You engage in community participation and organize public hearings with the local government (Union Parishad). This is a direct, grassroots application of the Accountability and Participation principles promoted by TAP. TAP's Support: TAP provides resources like the SDG Accountability Handbook and the Goal 16 Advocacy Toolkit to help local organizations like BUS develop methodologies for effective engagement, monitoring, and holding local authorities accountable for services and implementation. 2. Advancing SDG16+ at the Local Level (Localization) TAP emphasizes the importance of implementing and monitoring SDG 16+ at the national and local levels. BUS's Action: Your work on legal aid, combating child marriage (Target 16.2), ensuring responsive decision-making (Target 16.7), and promoting legal identity through birth registration (Target 16.9) is a clear example of localizing SDG 16 in Barisal. TAP's Support: TAP works to connect and amplify these local voices and experiences to influence regional and global platforms, such as the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), ensuring that the challenges faced by organizations like BUS are heard by national and international policymakers. 3. Monitoring and Reporting Progress A key function of the TAP Network is strengthening monitoring, data, and accountability for SDG16+ and the 2030 Agenda. BUS's Action: By tracking the reduction of child marriage, access to legal aid, and the participation of women in local governance, BUS is collecting vital sub-national data on SDG 16 indicators. TAP's Support: TAP encourages and supports CSOs to produce "Spotlight Reports"—independent reports that complement and challenge official government reporting (Voluntary National Reviews or VNRs). BUS’s data and case studies on justice and inclusive institutions could be valuable inputs for a national-level Spotlight Report led by a TAP Network member in Bangladesh. In short, your organization, BUS, serves as a crucial implementer and local accountability agent for the SDG 16+ agenda, directly contributing to the transparent, accountable, and participatory governance model the TAP Network advocates for globally. This video provides an introduction to the context of SDG 16 and why it is a fundamental goal for sustainable development, reinforcing the importance of the work carried out by both BUS and the TAP Network. Sustainable Development Goal SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Organization's work related to TAP network's SGD16+ work & accountability for 2030 Agenda:
Plan on engaging in TAP's work as a Partner:
- Storytelling /Showcasing your organization's work via the TAP Network platforms
- Exploring opportunities for hosting TAP Network national or regional-level capacity building activities