BD to see many UN officials' visits this year

Bangladesh is likely to witness visits of several officials from the United Nations (UN) this year, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who is likely to visit the country this month, officials in Dhaka and New York said, reports UNB.

They cited two reasons for the visits: a new interim government in place, and Bangladesh's 50 years of the UN membership. The country became a full member of the UN on 17 September 1974.

During his recent visit to New York, Chief Adviser (CA) Prof Muhammad Yunus sought support from foreign friends for the country's new journey towards a happy and prosperous future, stressing that they do not want to miss the opportunity to build a new Bangladesh.

Earlier, Volker Türk made a phone call to Prof Yunus in August, and received an official invitation from the CA to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding mission into human rights violations from 1 July to 15 August.

As part of the ongoing engagement with the interim government, an advance team of the UN rights body visited Bangladesh on August 22-29 and met student leaders of the recent movement. The team members also met a number of advisers, the chief justice, senior officers of the police and armed forces, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, representatives of political parties, and minority and indigenous communities.

The UN deployed the fact-finding team to Bangladesh with a view to reporting on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analysing their root causes, and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability for reforms.

During his Bangladesh visit, Volker Türk will meet Prof Yunus and Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, in addition to his meetings with other stakeholders.