Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram on Tuesday said the opposition is playing a ‘highly cooperative role’ in the current 13th parliament while the government is ‘liberal and proactive’ in pursuing necessary constitutional amendments.

The Speaker made the remarks when UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh Stefan Liller paid a courtesy call on him at the latter’s office in the Parliament Bhaban.

During the meeting, they discussed a series of issues including e-governance, e-parliament, activities of parliamentary standing committees, parliamentary sessions and rules of procedure.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin stressed the need for identifying specific areas of cooperation between the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) and UNDP.

He suggested that UNDP could assist new Members of Parliament (MPs) by organising orientation courses to help them better understand their primary responsibilities, functions and jurisdiction.

He also proposed that a delegation of Members of Parliament, particularly women MPs, could undertake bilateral exchange visits with UNDP to strengthen institutional collaboration.

He stressed the importance of introducing a digitised library system in parliament, incorporating smart technologies into daily parliamentary proceedings and establishing an in-house printing and press facility.

Speaking at the meeting, Stefan Liller described the current parliament as ‘vibrant’ and reaffirmed that UNDP has long been a trusted development partner of Bangladesh’s national parliament.

He said UNDP’s cooperation would continue in the future.

During the meeting, they also exchanged views on the ongoing energy crisis and democratic system. In this context, they appreciated the neutral stance of several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, said a press release.