Promoting democracy around the world is one of Switzerland’s goals, but at the same time the funds for such efforts are dwindling. A case in Bangladesh illustrates what this means in practice. Jiyana Madrajee is democracy activist from Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh. The 26-year-old grew up in a family of tea pickers and belongs to the Hindu Telugu community, a minority group that makes up much of the tea-picking workforce. The plantations were established during British colonial rule, and workers were brought to the region from other parts of British India. Madrajee is a member of the Youth Forum, a grassroots organisation in his region which has been championing the political rights of marginalised plantation workers since late 2023. This has been made possible in part due to Swiss support as the project benefits from Switzerland’s democracy promotion efforts. However, this may not be the case for much longer. Global democracy promotion is one of Switzerland’s constitutional ...
