TBM Report ||
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pledged comprehensive assistance for Bangladesh’s judicial, legal, and constitutional reform processes during a bilateral meeting today. UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Rodriques met Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday morning to discuss mutual priority areas.
Congratulating Home Minister Ahmed on his appointment as head of the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform, Rodriques offered technical expertise to support the committee’s mandate. He emphasized that UNDP aims to align its operational backing directly with the state’s strategic priorities. He further noted UNDP’s commitment to projecting Bangladesh’s image as an inclusive, religiously tolerant democratic nation internationally.
The discussion encompassed several strategic topics, including police capacity building, cyber misinformation, refugee management, and human rights legislation. Regarding displaced Myanmar nationals (Rohingya), Minister Ahmed specified that while existing camp infrastructure requires structural upgrades and slope stabilization, the government maintains a policy against constructing new permanent installations.
Addressing digital safety and online hate speech, Rodriques mentioned ongoing collaborations with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the ICT Division. In response, Home Minister Ahmed urged UNDP to provide logistical infrastructure to implement the newly passed Cyber Security Act effectively.
The Minister shared progress on foundational human rights statutes, announcing cabinet approval for the draft “National Human Rights Commission Act 2026,” set to be tabled in the upcoming parliamentary session. Additionally, the “Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act 2026” received policy approval. Drawing from his personal experience with enforced disappearance, Ahmed affirmed that zero instances of enforced disappearances or extrajudicial killings occurred under the current administration.
Senior officials, including Additional Secretary Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed, Joint Secretary Rebecca Khan, and UNDP Program Specialist Saif Islam, attended the meeting.
 pledged comprehensive assistance for Bangladesh's judicial, legal, and constitutional reform processes during a bilateral meeting today. UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Rodriques met Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday morning to discuss mutual priority areas.){kind=link}