In 1986 a number of activist women's organisation came together to form Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS). Since then, the organisation has worked at the national level for policy and legal reforms, and at the community level to organise and mobilise grasroots activity.

The core work of BNPS focuses on the social, economic and political empowerment of women; strengthening local government, electoral reform, education reform, and gender budget analysis. BNPS believes it plays a pioneering role in challenging many conservative mindsets, and resisting religious fundamentalism.

Through political empowerment BNPS has worked to strengthen local government and community level-governance through the inclusion of women and marginalised people, increasing the participation of women in political institutions, reforming the electoral process to make it gender responsive and mapping the implementation of policies & commitments for women.

The objective of BNPS is a society free from all discrimination and an enabling environment for women and disadvantaged people. To carry out its mission, BNPS is striving to eliminate all sort of discrimination against women from family to society and state consistent with the principles of the constitution of Bangladesh and human rights instruments of the United Nations.