Community 

UNGA 79: JWF Civil Society Best Practices and Initiatives for the SDGs

Impact

  • 63 Attendees

  • Sep 24, 2024

  • SDG 17

  • New York City

Impact
Overview

At UNGA 79 on September 24, 2024, Madhuri Kibria presented BacharLorai’s work on menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) to 63 attendees, highlighting key statistics on period poverty and impactful initiatives.

Our partners

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Project Team

  • Madhuri Kibria, Program Manager for Policy Research, Bachar Lorai 

  • Temirkhon Temirzoda, Executive Director of ARCO Forum and Founder of Spanish Youth Interfaith Ensemble

  • Sarah Elsakhawy, Women’s Empowerment Program Coordinator, Embrace Relief  

  • Orce Dancevski, International Chess Master, Yahya Kemal College Skopje   

  • Ahmet Orhan Polat, Executive Director, Affinity Intercultural Foundation 

  • Fatih Saribas, Director, Institute for Intercultural Dialogue

SDG Alignment

Target 17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

Target 17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Context

At UNGA 79, Madhuri Kibria presented BacharLorai’s efforts in addressing menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM). She began by sharing troubling statistics regarding period poverty in Bangladesh, noting that "95% of women in Bangladesh struggle to afford sanitary products," while "41% of schoolgirls miss school due to the inconvenience and embarrassment of their period," and "32% had their school performance affected." Furthermore, Kibria highlighted the "86% of young Bangladeshi schoolgirls who could not properly change or dispose of their menstrual products due to a lack of safe and private sanitation facilities." Kibria emphasized how MHM is a major focus for BacharLorai, fitting under SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Kibria highlighted that MHM is the only area of work that been covered under all three strategic pillars at BacharLorai, with several initiatives including workshops, the distribution of sustainable menstrual products, and the publication of the policy brief Ending Period Poverty. One key collaboration has been with the local organization Wreetu, through which menstrual health education workshops were delivered, and reusable menstrual hygiene products were distributed in dignity kits. These efforts directly impacted 90 young girls in Kishoreganj, a rural district where period poverty often goes unaddressed. These actions have reached communities in both Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi diaspora in Toronto. "Building strong partnerships with local civil society organizations that have contextual knowledge of the local communities," Kibria emphasized, "is key to making sustainable impact and a step towards decolonizing development work.”

This work continues through the newly launched Global Impact Fellowship, a transformative program that empowers youth to design and implement UN SDG-aligned projects. The fellowship supports the next generation of leaders in public service, sustainable development, and social impact, reinforcing a commitment to building inclusive societies and fostering partnerships worldwide.