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Advisor Touhid: No decision has been taken yet on opening the UN Human Rights office
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Advisor Touhid: No decision has been taken yet on opening the UN Human Rights office

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said today (October 30) that no decision has been taken regarding the UN Human Rights body opening an office in Dhaka.

“There was only a discussion and there was no official or written proposal (from the UN). But we are examining it,” he told reporters after meeting with High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Responding to a question, Advisor Touhid said it may take a month for the UN team to submit its report on human rights violations committed from July 1 to August 15.

Turk organized a series of meetings discussing human rights issues.

He also held meetings with senior officials and civil society representatives, among others.

Before the high commissioner met with the press this evening, his Chief Advisor Prof. He is scheduled to meet with Muhammed Yunus.

The UN rights chief had previously received a formal invitation from the Adviser General to conduct an impartial and independent investigative mission into human rights violations committed during the period.

The office deployed an investigative team to Bangladesh to report violations and abuses committed during the protests, analyze root causes, and advance justice and accountability and make recommendations for long-term reforms.

Volker Türk, Chief Advisor of the Bangladesh interim government, Prof. He had a phone conversation with Muhammed Yunus.

Chief Advisor Prof. During his recent visit to New York, Yunus emphasized that they do not want to miss the opportunity to establish a new Bangladesh by seeking support from foreign friends for Bangladesh’s new journey towards a happy and prosperous future.

As part of ongoing talks with the interim government, an advanced team from the UN rights body visited Bangladesh from 22 to 29 August and met with student leaders involved in the recent protests, as well as a wide range of advisors in the Interim Government. Justice, senior police and armed forces officers, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, representatives of political parties, minority and indigenous communities.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Advisor on Social Welfare and Women and Children’s Affairs Sharmeen S Murshid said that the United Nations Human Rights office will soon open an office in Dhaka.

He said that if the office is established, the UN Human Rights office can directly investigate human rights violations in Bangladesh.

Türk said that citizens should be able to participate in democratic governance and have a real say in decision-making processes.

Delivering his speech at a program at Dhaka University on Tuesday, he said “free and fair” elections require an environment where expression, association and peaceful assembly are respected.

Turk said this is an opportunity for inclusive, sustainable development policies that benefit everyone.

Inequality, cycles of revenge and punishment, marginalization, corruption and gross human rights violations should be left in the past, he said.

“There should be no repetition, no return. The present and the future belong to equality and justice.” Turk said, adding that Bangladesh has a rich texture in terms of promise, culture and creativity.

It is full of potential, ideas and justified demands for a better present and a brighter future, and to realize this potential, Bangladesh must draw a clear line in the sand, the UN human rights chief said.

“I am inspired by your commitment to democracy and human rights. Keep this at the forefront of your struggle and your life. I stand with all of you as we strive to build a more equal, more inclusive and more just Bangladesh for all,” Turk said.