United News of Bangladesh

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is set to establish an office in Bangladesh, primarily for three years, in an effort to strengthen cooperation in dealing with human rights issues. “There has been remarkable progress on the discussion (between the interim government and the UN Human Rights Office). The Council of Advisers, in principle, approved the draft MoU today (Sunday),” Law Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy. While briefing reporters on the outcomes of the meeting, the Adviser said the office will be established in Bangladesh primarily for three years. If the two sides think that it is necessary to renew, the renewal of the MoU can be considered, he added. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam was also present at the media briefing.  The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) is the leading UN entity on human rights. Acting British high commissioner meets Fakhrul The Law Adviser said they – a few advisers - will further examine the draft MoU and the final text of the draft MoU will be sent to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Once they (UN side) agree, Asif Nazrul said, they hope to sign the MoU as soon as possible and based on the signed MoU, an office will be established here. The Law Adviser hoped that Bangladesh’s local agencies which are dealing with the human rights issues, together with the UN office, will play an important role if there is any case of severe human rights violation in the country. A milestone was the interim government’s invitation to the OHCHR for an independent fact-finding mission following the July–August unrest. The UN Fact-Finding Mission last year submitted a report on the human rights violations highlighting the events of July and August last year. The report said about 1400 people were killed during the July-August uprising and in the aftermath. The UN Human Rights Office will soon establish an office in Bangladesh to support the country that is going through reforms in various sectors including political, bureaucratic, police and judicial sectors.  "We understand from the government that a MoU is finalised. We are waiting to sign it soon. That means we will be able to open an Office of the Human Commissioner for Human Rights soon to support a lot of processes that are underway," said United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis on June 4. Since becoming a member of the United Nations in 1974, Bangladesh has consistently demonstrated strong support for peace and international cooperation.

Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Saturday said the election timing will be fixed under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus as it is a very important policy decision.  "He (CA) alone has the authority to declare it (election timing)," Prof Asif Nazrul said in a statement, further explaining his remarks made in a TV programme on Thursday night.  Earlier, Dr Asif Nazrul said the next national election may be arranged by the next year - 2025 - after completing the pre-election preparations, including the formation of a new Election Commission through a search committee.  "I think realistically, holding the election may be possible by next year. There are many factors. This is a preliminary assumption to me," he said when Daily Manabzamin Chief Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury wanted to know about the election timing during a programme titled "Ajker Patrika" hosted by Channel I . Chief Adviser to hold dialogue with political parties today Dr Asif said a search committee will be formed soon to help form the new Election Commission.  The new EC will then prepare a flawless voters' list and then an election will be held, he said.  In his statement, Dr Asif said he did not get a chance to fully explain these factors there.  But everyone will understand from the words of the government that there are issues of reform and political consensus for the elections, said the Adviser.  "These are the factors. I also spoke about the reforms," he said.  "Some other factors I have explained in the programme, such as: formation of search committee and election commission, preparation of voter list etc," he added.  The Adviser said if these factors remain okay, the election may be held next year. "I also said this from my primary assumption.”  These conditional ideas and assumptions are presented by some media as an election announcement. Honestly, this is not correct," Asif Nazrul said in his statement.

The two-day 9th International Water Conference took place at a hotel in Dhaka under the theme ‘Water, River and Climate Change: Creating Space for Resilience’ ended on Thursday. While moderating a session titled “Rights of the River: Integrated Basin Management” Dr Asif Nazrul, Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka, said, “In South Asia, major upstream countries do not want to sit with downstream countries.” Fair election needed to restore confidence in Constitution: Asif Nazrul “Most agreements are reactive agreements made in order to accommodate unilateral projects by upstream or powerful countries. They usually go bilateral to resolve any water and river related disputes. If we look into the South Asian Water sharing treaties, we see that most of them are periodical treaties for a selective timeframe, which we do not see in other parts of the world,”   he added. He also stated that all the basin states must find a fair way of water allocation to avoid disagreement. Also, there must be a regional framework for comprehensive data sharing regarding water resource management. Police complaint filed against Prof Asif Nazrul over controversial Facebook post Nayoka Martinez-Bäckström, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden stressed the inclusion of young people in water-related discussion and the climate justice movement. She also emphasised on the youth-led enterprise for sustainable water management. Dr Ainun Nishat, professor emeritus, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, said, “In climate and water negotiations, it’s imperative to understand the politics at play. Climate change significantly impacts food security, and water is essential for ensuring this security. By understanding climate politics well, we can strongly stand for climate justice.” Dr. Khairul Islam, Regional Director, WaterAid, South Asia Region, in the River, Resilience, and People session said, “Most of the civilisations started on the bank of the rivers. What we are seeing now is that the condition of the river is deteriorating. The majority of climate change is human-made or caused by the people. Water is the lifeline of the people, and we are polluting it. If we become conscious and more responsible, we can revert and improve this situation. We should find ways to save water bodies.” New Metro Rail Station at Dhaka University: A milestone in student connectivity Remarks by Special Guest, M. Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador, Embassy of Bangladesh in the Netherlands said, “If we are to look for a solution-driven approach, we have to understand Delta plan is not a guideline. A plan has to marry with the future of the economy and urbanization of the country. I do not see the knowledge institutions to inform projects.” This year the conference emphasised on 10 thematic areas- Understanding the nexus of climate change and rights of rivers; Climate change and rivers: Risk and vulnerabilities; Development, inclusion and resilience; Water, river, and urban resilience: Infrastructure and ecosystem; River, resilience, and people; Rights of the river: Integrated basin management; Multilateral water cooperation and governance; Living museums and community resilience; Water and river: Engagement young people; Sustainable Future: Crafting technical solutions.