Shibbir Ahmed, New York: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has expressed its willingness to provide full support to Bangladesh in its overall reform process, including legal and judicial reforms and proposed constitutional amendments.
UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Rodriques expressed the organization’s interest during a courtesy meeting with Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the minister’s office at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday morning, according to a press release issued by the ministry.
The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, with the two sides discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including constitutional reform, assistance for Rohingya refugees, capacity building for the Bangladesh Police, institutional and technological support to combat rumors and misinformation, the proposed National Human Rights Commission Act, and the draft Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act. Rodriques said UNDP is keen to support the priorities and reform agenda of the current government.
“We want to support the goals, priorities and action plans of the present government,” he said, congratulating Salahuddin Ahmed on his appointment as chairman of the special committee on constitutional amendments.
“If you wish, we are interested in providing the necessary support for this reform process,” he added.
The home minister highly appreciated UNDP’s longstanding contributions to Bangladesh’s socioeconomic development and called for further expansion of the partnership in the coming days.
Referring to UNDP’s work with forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, commonly known as Rohingyas, the resident representative said the organization has been working to improve living conditions in the refugee camps through environmental protection initiatives, including landslide prevention, as well as various social development programmes.
The home minister said Bangladesh wants appropriate improvement and modernization of existing infrastructure in the Rohingya camps but does not want any new infrastructure to be constructed there in the greater national interest.
Rodriques also said UNDP has been providing training to Bangladesh Police on protecting citizens’ rights, conflict resolution and other professional skills to strengthen the institutional capacity of the force. The home minister stressed the importance of continued UNDP support in improving the professionalism and operational capacity of the police.
Discussing the misuse of information technology, Rodriques said misinformation, disinformation and hate speech are spreading rapidly through digital platforms. He said UNDP is already working with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and is prepared to provide technological and institutional support to ensure prompt remedies for violations.
The minister said Bangladesh has already enacted the Cyber Security Act and suggested that UNDP could provide logistical support for its effective implementation. Responding to a question about the proposed National Human Rights Commission Act, Salahuddin Ahmed said the draft National Human Rights Commission Act, 2026 has received final approval from the Cabinet and is expected to be passed during the next session of Parliament.
He said opinions from UNDP, international organizations, foreign missions, development partners, newspaper editors and legal experts had been incorporated into the drafting process, along with consideration of Bangladesh’s social values and religious sentiments. The minister also said that no incidents of enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing have occurred since the current government assumed office.
Sharing his personal experience of enforced disappearance, he said the draft Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Act, 2026 has also received policy approval from the Cabinet. Highlighting Bangladesh’s image abroad, the UNDP resident representative said international media do not always portray the country’s actual situation. He described Bangladesh as a liberal and religiously tolerant country and said UNDP is interested in supporting efforts to promote Bangladesh’s positive image internationally.
