In a powerful demonstration of political unity across ideological lines, twenty-one distinguished leaders from five major Bangladeshi political parties, including presidium and executive committee members, district presidents, and general secretaries, graduated on Monday from the Senior Leaders Fellowship Programme (SLFP), organised by Democracy International.

The programme is carried out under the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)’s Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics (B-CAPP) initiative.

This marks the 11th cohort of the prestigious multiparty fellowship, which has now trained 255 senior political figures from seven parties since its inception. The programme is designed to foster dialogue, build trust, and strengthen democratic norms among leaders often positioned on opposing sides of Bangladesh’s polarized political landscape.

Bridging divides through dialogue

Hailing from nine districts across the country, the fellows represent the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Ganosamhati Andolan, and Gono Odhikar Parisad.

Over the course of the fellowship, they engaged in intensive, nonpartisan training on critical democratic pillars: political leadership, electoral reforms, campaign ethics, political finance, gender inclusion, and democratic governance indicators.

More than a training course, SLFP serves as a rare neutral platform where senior leaders, many of whom rarely interact publicly, build personal rapport and commit to upholding political tolerance, institutional accountability, and peaceful contestation.

“Through shared learning, these leaders have pledged to carry forward the values of unity and mutual respect even amid disagreement,” said a DI spokesperson.

Ceremony highlights shared commitment

The graduation ceremony, held in Dhaka, was graced by senior party representatives who personally handed over certificates and commemorative crests to the fellows: Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Member, BNP National Standing Committee; Mia Golam Parwar, Secretary General, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami; Akhter Hossen, Member Secretary, National Citizen Party; Zonayed Saki, Chief Coordinator, Ganosamhati Andolan; and Muhammad Rashed Khan, General Secretary, Gono Odhikar Parisad.

Also present were Emma Wind, Governance Advisor at the British High Commission in Bangladesh; Catherine Cecil, Chief of Party, Democracy International; Aminul Ehsan, Deputy Chief of Party; and Dr. Abdul Alim, Principal Director of the programme.

“A special batch”

In her closing remarks, Catherine Cecil underscored the historic significance of this cohort: “This is a special batch — because for the first time, all major political parties are represented by senior leaders from both central committees and grassroots districts. You are not just participants. You are ambassadors of democratic values. You are uniquely positioned to take these ideas back to your parties and communities, to promote representative, accountable, and peaceful politics in Bangladesh.”

With 255 alumni now active across the country, many in decision-making roles, the fellowship is quietly seeding a new culture of democratic collaboration in Bangladesh’s political ecosystem.