§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is towards(a) the operation of non-governmental organisations in Bangladesh, (b) NGOs promoting western concepts of the role of women in Bangladesh and (c) the substitution of western for local cultural norms by NGOs in Bangladesh. [7203]
§ Clare ShortThe UK Government do not have a general policy towards NGOs in Bangladesh. My Department works with a number of NGOs to help advance a range of our objectives, as set out in our published Country Strategy Paper for Bangladesh.
One of these objectives is improvements in the position of women in society. DFID's overall strategy is set out in a published paper on 'Poverty Elimination and the Empowerment of Women'. In accordance with that strategy we work with NGOs and the Government of Bangladesh to help implement Bangladesh's international commitments.
The UK Government do not promote any particular policy on cultural norms in Bangladesh. The majority of our funding to NGOs in Bangladesh goes to indigenous Bangladeshi organisations. Most of these have a commitment to internationally recognised human rights including women's equality.