What the GoB is Doing

A NHRC was prepared under the auspices of

/A theJDV?B through a participatory research £ A. methodology, popularly known as the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) process. The draft bill has been approved by the cabinet on 12 April 1999. The Prime Ministerhas already constituted a high level sub-committee with members of the cabinet headed by the Minister for Education for further improvement of the Bill and keeping It in uniformity with national human rights institutions in other countries. The members of the sub-committee include among others, the Ministers of Home. Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Commerce and Industries and the State Ministers for the Ministries of Textiles and Planning. The sub-committee in the meantime has already convened two meetings for this purpose Itjs a matter Of great encoilragement. that the Prime Minister's office is taking keen interest in the activities of this Ministerial sub-committee. The Government of Bangladesh will introduce the bill in the forth coming session of the Parliament. All preparations are underway for enactment of the bill as soon as th® parliament. It may be mentioned here, that the IDHRB has already been working closely with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Amnesty International. Asia Watch, and other national and regional human'rights institutions and NGO’s. '

The Government of Bangladesh attaches top priority to the protection and promotion of human rights. As a member of the United Nations, it is committed, to uphold the principles of the international human rights conventions. It has so far ratified or acceded 16 human rights instruments, among which Includes the Convention on the Rights of the Child, CEDAW, International Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention blithe Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment.

a version of the briefing presented bg

KM Haque Kaiser, National Project coordinator of IDHRB Protect of the Government of Bangladesh at the Asia Pacific Forum Of National Human Rights Institutions Workshop held at Kandy, Sri Lanka. on 26-28 July 1999.