DHAKA: The Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) of the European Parliament (EP) will place a report on its latest visit to Dhaka before an EP meeting on Thursday.
The meeting will begin at 9:00 morning (Brussels local time) and continue till 12:30 noon where Bangladesh issues will be discussed.
According to the draft agenda obtained from EP web portal by banglanews, the two-and-half hour long meeting will be held at Altiero Spinelli Building - office of the EP – in Brussels capital city of Belgium.
An agenda titled “Feedback from DROI mission to Bangladesh” will be placed before the meeting at the fourth position, followed by another agenda tilted “Human rights and technology: the impact of intrusion and surveillance systems on human rights in third countries”.
A three-member DROI delegation by member of EP (MEP) Cristian Dan Preda visited Bangladesh from February 16 to February 20. The other MEPs were Josef Weidenholzer and Karol Karski.
Cristian Dan Preda, on the visit, said: "We were here because of our concerns regarding the human rights situation. We need Bangladesh as a strong partner. The respect for Human Rights and democracy will be an essential component for Bangladesh to realize its full potential in order to reach its declared goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2021".
The EU Delegation to Bangladesh issued a press release on DROI’s visit.
According to the release, “The purpose of the visit was to assess the current human rights situation in the country, focusing on the areas of labor rights, children and women and minority rights. During discussions Members paid special attention to civil and political rights against the background of violence generated by the current political impasse.”
“The delegation, having met government and opposition representatives, urged an immediate end to the increasing violence and echoed calls from the international community and Bangladeshi civil society to solve the political crisis”, it added.
The release said that the delegation raised EP's continued concerns regarding enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Freedom of expression was also a matter of concern, discussed with multiple interlocutors. Peace and stability should not be restored at the expense of civil and political rights. Freedom of expression is a fundamental pillar of a pluralistic and vibrant democracy.
“Members underlined the need for consolidating democratic institutions and reiterated their expectations that the draft Foreign Donations Act should guarantee adequate space for civil society organizations to continue working for the betterment of the situation of vulnerable populations. This is also critical for the smooth implementation of EU funded development projects,” it added.
“Members also discussed women's rights and children's rights and urged the government to ensure the full implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord. Members expressed hope that the government of Bangladesh will continue engaging with the international community towards improving the situation of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. During various meetings Members reiterated the EU's principled position on the death penalty, opposing it under all circumstances.”
According to the release, “The delegation met trade union and business leaders, environmental activists, representatives of local and international civil society, members of minority groups, senior political leaders, the Speaker of Parliament and members of the government.”
“The delegation visited a ready made garment factory in Dhaka and exchanged views with Accord representatives, trade unions and industry stakeholders to gain insight into the implementation of the Sustainability Compact and to assess labor conditions.”
“While welcoming the progress achieved through inspections and consultations, they called for further support to Accord, and working towards a supportive environment to ensure effective rights to collective bargaining and the full implementation of the amended Labor Law including in the EPZs.”
“The delegation also undertook a field visit to Mirpur to see a school and a project linked to children's migration to urban areas financed under EU-funded programs.
They welcomed government efforts and progress achieved in basic education of children while encouraged further measures, such as nationwide birth registration and the protection of the particularly vulnerable groups, especially in large urban areas.
BDST: 1030 HRS, FEB 25, 2015
