Stakeholder Engagement to Influence Tobacco Control Policies in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP), in collaboration with the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, has been working to enhance research capacity and generate local evidence to support effective tobacco control policies in Bangladesh. As part of this initiative, the Tobacco Control Policy Research Grant Program was launched in 2013. Findings from 131 studies conducted under this program have been disseminated to inform policy changes and strengthen the implementation of existing tobacco control measures.
A key objective of the program is to engage diverse stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and its relevant departments, in-country partners, Bloomberg Initiative grantee organizations, universities, and other tobacco control organizations. Stakeholders play an active role in developing the Call for Proposals for the research grant program. To identify future research priorities, a Consultative Meeting is being held, and its outcomes help to shape the Call for Proposals. Grant applicants are encouraged to focus on priority issues outlined by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, particularly those aligned with the World Health Organization’s MPOWER package to support new policies or strengthen existing ones.
The program follows a rigorous, multi-step process for reviewing research proposals annually. A Proposal Review Panel, consisting of distinguished domestic and international researchers and tobacco control experts, evaluates submissions based on priority issues, competitiveness, and potential policy impact. The review process includes preliminary screening to ensure proposals meet submission guidelines; technical evaluation, where panel members assess and assign scores and final presentation, where applicants present their proposals directly to the review panel.
To disseminate research findings and engage stakeholders, the program organizes a dissemination conference at regular intervals. The conference brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, including representatives from media agencies, and provides a platform for grantees to share their key study findings. An abstract booklet is distributed among the conference participants, encouraging them to use the research for advocacy efforts and policy development.
This initiative advocates stronger and more effective tobacco control policies while fostering meaningful stakeholder engagement. Key stakeholders include the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and its departments, public and private universities, Bloomberg Initiative partners, and media representatives. By aligning advocacy efforts with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control guidelines, the Tobacco Control Policy Research Program not only generates evidence-based research but also contributes to improved public health outcomes. Additionally, it supports the government’s vision of a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 by promoting cross-sector collaboration and evidence-driven policy decisions that prioritize public well-being.