A delegation of five Human Rights subcommittee Members will visit Bangladesh from September 16 to 18 to discuss the human rights dimension of the relations between Bangladesh and the European Union (EU).
Against the backdrop of the upcoming elections in February 2026 and of the strengthening of EU-Bangladesh relations, the European Parliament delegation is visiting the country to "learn more about the work" of the interim government in promoting good governance and advancing human rights, including international labour standards, and to discuss the EU-Bangladesh partnership in these areas.
The Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights Mounir Satouri will lead the delegation.
Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Urmas Paet and Catarina Vieira are the members of the delegation.
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They will hold meetings with representatives of the interim government, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, labour representatives and representatives of multilateral organisations operating on the ground.
Since the violent crackdown on the mass protest movement of 2024 and the subsequent downfall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is undergoing a period of political transition under an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, said the EU Embassy in Dhaka.
The interim authorities launched a reform process in autumn 2024, including the country’s electoral system, judiciary and other key institutions.
Bangladesh and the EU have furthermore resumed negotiations on a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).
Bangladesh is currently under an Everything but Arms (EBA) enhanced engagement process with the EU, which includes a systematic approach to addressing concerns with regard to fundamental human rights as well as labour rights.
Bangladesh hosts over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees who fled to escape persecution following the Myanmar military crackdown against the minority in 2017.
The situation in the refugee camps in Bangladesh is dire, with overcrowding, limited resources, and ongoing humanitarian challenges.
The delegation will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, National Consensus Commission Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz, representatives of the Bangladesh