The UN Human Rights Office and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a mission in the country for three years to support the promotion and protection of human rights.
The memorandum was signed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Bangladesh foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, in a statement on Friday, came up with the information saying that the MoU was signed this week to launch the mission to protect and promote human rights in Bangladesh.
The statement said that since August 2024, the UN Human Rights Office’s engagement with Bangladesh has significantly increased.
The Office has been working with various stakeholders in advancing human rights reforms and conducting a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into the deadly repression of mass protests.
‘The signing of this memorandum sends an important message of the country’s commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of the transition,’ said Volker Türk.
‘It will enable my office to better support implementation of the recommendations made in our fact-finding report, as well as to engage directly on the ground with the Government, civil society and others with our expertise and assistance on the fundamental reforms Bangladesh is undertaking going forward,’ he said.
The statement also said the new mission will offer training and technical assistance to the authorities across a range of areas, towards meeting the country’s national and international human rights commitments, as well as undertake capacity-building for government institutions and civil society actors.