Considering that the world’s largest non-governmental development
organization has sprouted from our country, it is only natural to say
that the Government of Bangladesh, certainly provides development
organization-friendly environment and legal framework in relation to
establishing and operating in here somewhat seamlessly. It is also proper
to admit that, if it were not for the tens of INGOs establishing here
and implementing their high-valued, social developmental projects,
Bangladesh would not have been where it is today as fast. We, therefore,
owe it all to those organizations, and we owe it to the Government, the
lawmakers and executives who have enabled such organizations, and
continue to so enable, to open offices here and operate for years and for
decades, with due smoothness.

This Booklet is aimed at such INGOs who wish to choose or have already
chosen this land, to come, establish and perform their social reformative
agendas. As the Government of Bangladesh, particularly in the last 1.5
decades, continually endeavors to encourage– just as it promotes foreign
direct investments for economic growth – more and more INGOs to
lay their foundations here, by way of developing new and friendly laws,
regulations and policies and polishing the old ones, the long-standing
bureaucracy, procedural vagueness, uncertainty and lack of transparency
plaguing regulatory bodies can now be seen to be lifted. All these problems,
which previously made running developmental activities an arduous task,
have been replaced with clarity in processes and powers of regulatory
bodies, transparency, professionalism, digitalization of procedures.
Legal Counsel, through supporting the establishment of numerous
developmental organizations and acquiring proper registrations/
approvals for them and/or their projects, through supporting hundreds
Note from the Head of the Chambers

of INGOS in their day to day operations and certainly intrigued by the
inquisitive and equally encouraging clients, has felt that some, if not all,
basic and key elements of establishing and operating such concerns in
Bangladesh, can be jotted down and presented in the form of a Booklet.
Thus, this Booklet came into being as the second publication from our
‘Quest’ publication series, aimed at those who land on a foreign-land, a
labyrinth called Bangladesh, to serve as a starting point, a kind of firstinformation
checklist. It shall also, of course, be of great help to those
who are old to this country or are its citizens.
Written in simple, laymen’s language and jeweled with the precious lists,
it covers not only pre-inception requirements, but also inception nittygritties
and post-establishment vital operational information.
As always, my sincere gratitude to all the associates of Legal Counsel for
extracting valuable time from their regular workload to give this Booklet
a shape. I hope that this Booklet and the ‘Quest’ series as a whole will gain
its true momentum by your valuable feedback and continuing support.