The United Nations Human Rights Office and Bangladesh have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a rights office in Bangladesh for a three-year period to support the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
The MoU was signed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T眉rk and Bangladesh foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam, according to a press release issued by the OHCHR in Geneva on Friday.
Earlier, on July 10, the Bangladesh interim government advisory council approved a proposal to establish an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangladesh -- initially for three years.
The press release said that the MoU was signed past week to launch the mission to protect and promote human rights in Bangladesh.
Since past August, the UN Human Rights Office鈥檚 engagement with Bangladesh has significantly increased, it said, adding that the office had been working with various stakeholders in advancing human rights reforms and conducting a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into deadly repression of mass protests.
鈥楾he signing of this memorandum sends an important message of the country鈥檚 commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of the transition,鈥� said Volker T眉rk.
Volker T眉rk also said that it would enable his office to better support the implementation of the recommendations made in their fact-finding report, as well as to engage directly on the ground with the government, civil society, and others with their expertise and assistance on the fundamental reforms in Bangladesh, further said the release.
The release also said that the new mission would offer training and technical assistance to the authorities across a range of areas towards meeting the country鈥檚 national and international human rights commitments as well as undertake capacity-building for government institutions and civil society actors.
After the interim government of Bangladesh approved a draft MoU in principle on June 29, regarding the establishment of the OHCHR office, law adviser Asif Nazrul told journalists that based on the signed MoU, an office of the OHCHR would be established in Bangladesh primarily for three years.
If the two sides think that a renewal is necessary, he added, it can be considered.