The British Council and SDC hold policy dialogue on social enterprise

The British Council in partnership with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) organised a policy dialogue titled "Social Enterprise: Policy and Practice" in Dhaka at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on the 25 and 26 February, 2015.

The event brought together 100 policy experts, social enterprise and social investment intermediaries and practitioners from Vietnam, Thailand, South Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Bangladesh and the UK, and from organisations such as BRAC, Grameen, Shujog and SEUK. The event focused on how Bangladesh can harness the experience of other countries and develop a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for the government to support the sector's rapid growth.

Professor Durren Shahnaj, Founder and Managing Director of Shujog and IIX in Singapore, and Dan Gregory, Head of Policy at SEUK, presented keynotes on "Social Enterprise: How can the Bangladesh economy take full advantage of the opportunities presented by Social Enterprise?"

The policy dialogue was an opportunity to contribute to the development of a Social Enterprise policy framework in Bangladesh. It shed light on the contexts that have supported the development of the Social Enterprise sector in countries in East and South Asia and the UK in recent years, creating an excellent platform for exchanging views and experiences, sharing best practices in social enterprise, and exploring their adaptation in Bangladesh.