Govt to implement 5-yr HR prog with int’l support

The government on Thursday signed a deal with international partners to implement a new human rights program in the country, reports the UNB.

 

The program will be technically supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) while financially by the governments of Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland.

 

It will be implemented over the next five years with an estimated budget of US$ 10.5 million and will see a range of partners working together to uphold the rights and dignity of the most vulnerable groups within society.

 

The program will establish a new agenda and mark National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as an independent leading human rights body in Bangladesh.

 

“The advancement of human rights, and particularly women’s and children’s rights is crucial for progress whether on a political, economic or social level,” said Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.

 

Karin McDonald, Head of Development Cooperation, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), said building stronger gender equality initiatives and strengthening civil society activities that improve the position of women and girls, is the first step to their commitment to improve human rights in the country.

 

The new program will increase the capacity of existing human rights architectures that operate in Bangladesh by supporting state based institutions, with a special focus on the NHRC, UNDP said in a press release.

 

It will foster key civil society and community based organizations, in addition to the NHRC, to improve human rights coalitions across the country, it said.

 

Programming will also provide platforms for cohesive human rights dialogue at the national, regional and local levels, the partners hope. It will particularly focus on working with women and girls, children and youth, ethnic and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, Dalit and other minority groups.

 

It will seek to strengthen the NHRC’s role in engaging with the government and other duty bearers on integrating the human rights perspective in wider national strategies.