WORKER rights in Bangladesh continue to remain unprotected as reported in the most recent Global Rights Index of the International Trade Union Confederation. This is disconcerting. In the index made public on June 2, Bangladesh is ranked among the 10 worst countries with a score of 5, suggesting that the country has no guarantee for worker rights. For nine consecutive...
Commonwealth secretary-general Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said on Tuesday that they were keen to support Bangladesh in political reforms ahead of the planned general election next year.
Civil society members said on Sunday that a national consensus was essential for sustainable reforms in various sectors...
The National Citizen Party on Saturday said that the two student advisers in the interim government had no affiliation with it (NCP).
THE health sector reform report, of all the reforms commission reports, is better poised for a fast implementation, having faced little criticism and barriers as there is almost no contention about the report that recommends steps for the improvement in the health sector. What the authorities now need to do is to set strategic priorities and identify enablers and barriers to...
International Labour Organisation country director for Bangladesh, Tuomo Poutiainen, called for inclusive and sustained labour reforms, with particular focus on employment generation, stronger institutions and protections for marginalised communities and undervalued sectors...
THE health reforms commission in May put forth a set of proposals to transform the healthcare landscape. Major recommendations include the establishment of a permanent, independent health commission, the recognition of primary...
BRIGADIER General (Retd) HRM Rokan Uddin鈥檚 recent call for rethinking Bangladesh鈥檚 defence reforms, published in 抖阴精品, deserves recognition for reigniting a largely dormant strategic debate. His essay presents an aspirational vision for modernising Bangladesh鈥檚 armed forces in a time of shifting global power dynamics, emerging hybrid threats, and evolving...
THE July uprising exposed harsh truth. One of the most painful aspects was that the police, once seen as protectors, become a symbol of repression. The realisation pushed police reforms into the national spotlight, prompting the interim government to establish the police reforms commission, one of the six set up in the early phase of the interim goverment. The recently...
THE recommendations of the health reforms commission, formed on November 18, 2024, in a report submitted to the government on May 5 after missing out its extended deadline of April 30, appear good steps towards ensuring health care as a fundamental right and improving the health services that have so far been in a deplorable condition. The prime among the...
GOVERNMENTS are spending more on social safety nets than ever before, and yet, the struggle against urban poverty feels like it is stuck in the mud. The paradox is hard to ignore: funding goes up, but the poorest people in our cities keep falling through the cracks. The reason? The very laws meant to support them weren鈥檛 built for the urban world they live in now...
BANGLADESH is moving towards holding the 13th parliamentary elections. Although, a specific date for the elections has not yet announced, the chief adviser to the interim government Muhammad Yunus in an address to the nation has said that the...
The labour sector needs comprehensive reforms to ensure worker rights and welfare. The interim government has, however, received recommendations from the labour reforms commission...
THE recommendations that the women鈥檚 affairs reforms commission, set up on November 18, 2024, put forth on April 19 for the government to effect appear assuring in that they are mostly meant to do away with the discrimination that exists in society against women. The commission has made 15 specific recommendations, which include the provision for equal rights...
A SOUND referral and back-referral system in health care potentially has several merits. It can ensure equitable access to specialised health care. It can optimise the use of resources. It can improve patient outcomes. It can also enhance coordination between levels of health care. This is, therefore, a welcome move that the health-sector reforms commission is set to...
Major political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, are set to miss the deadline for submitting their feedback to the National Consensus Commission鈥檚 multiple-choice questionnaire on key reforms...
THE way the police have relied on violence to disperse an anti-rape march towards the residence of the chief adviser demanding a more decisive role in ending violence against women is a shocking reminder of the role that the police played during the July uprising. The anti-rape march was one of many protests taking place over the rape of a child in Magura, fighting for life...
National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam on Monday urged the political parties to form a consensus on justice and reforms before election...
UNIVERSAL health coverage aims to provide everyone with essential healthcare services without financial strain. However, despite global pledges to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, more than half of the world鈥檚 population still lacks access to basic health services. The Health Care Financing Strategy 2012...
IS BANGLADESH ready for a federal system? Emerging聽from the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission, the issue has generated considerable discussion. Although federalism has been acknowledged for its capacity to distribute power and solve regional problems elsewhere in the world, its viability in Bangladesh is yet unknown. Examining this...
The chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, said on Thursday that the interim government would implement part of the July Charter to be signed by the political parties after the dialogue on the reforms recommended by six commissions.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will move forward with telecommunication sector reforms based on the support of the majority of stakeholders, ensuring affordability and service quality, said BTRC chairman Md Emdad-ul-Bari...
The Judiciary Reforms Commission has suggested the government to appoint retired judges to dispose of under trial cases pilled in district courts, official sources said on Saturday.
The Inter-Cadre Discrimination Elimination Council on Saturday issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding that the 50 per cent quota for the administration cadre in the deputy secretary pool, as recommended by the Public Administration Reform Commission, be scrapped...
The public administration reform commission on Wednesday proposed major structural changes, including the creation of four provinces, two new administrative divisions and a 鈥榗apital city government鈥�...
A task force on economic reforms in a report has suggested strengthening loan approval processes, depoliticising bank boards, upholding the Bangladesh Bank鈥檚 independence and introducing legal reforms for addressing...
Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Sunday said that Bangladesh urgently needed reforms in its economy to tackle significant challenges...
Speakers, including academics and politicians, called for national unity among all political parties and other stakeholders for bringing democratic reforms in the country in keeping with the spirit of the War of Independence and July uprising...
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Taskeen Ahmed stressed the need for urgent reforms and modernisation of Bangladesh鈥檚 trade and investment frameworks...
Economic activities in Bangladesh may face short-term challenges as the government moves forward with large-scale economic reforms aimed at long-term benefits, according to a recent report from Bangladesh Bank...