01 December, 2023, 12:00 am
Last modified: 01 December, 2023, 12:00 am
TBS Illustration
Bangladesh should increase the pace of implementing the commitments on labour rights included in the National Action Plan (NAP) and ILO road map, and continue to report regularly on progress achieved in line with the timelines provided,
the European Union says. It iterates its key concerns on human rights and wants the authorities in Bangladesh to improve in the areas of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and civil society space.
Cases of alleged torture, ill-treatment, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances should be investigated, says a release of European Commission, the EU’s executive wing, on 21 November.
The EU’s renewed call on rights issues comes at a time when the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC alerted the commerce ministry to the possible consequences of the latest US labour rights policy. There are reasons to believe that Bangladesh may be one of the targets of the recently-released US memorandum on labour rights and the issue should be “taken into cognizance with priority,” said the embassy’s letter dated 20 November.
In its document released from Brussels, the EU wants full implementation of the recommendations of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) including abolition of the death penalty, as well as the conclusions of UN treaty monitoring bodies.
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It appreciates Bangladesh’s ratification of ILO Convention on minimum age, finalization of National Action Plan on the Labour Sector (NAP), and regular reporting every six months on the progress of the implementation. “Through various amendments to its legislation and fine-tuning its approach to implementation, in the reporting period Bangladesh achieved some gradual improvements with respect to labour rights,” it says.
The upcoming parliamentary election is drawing significant attention from global powers and organizations.
The EU’s share of Bangladesh’s exports reached 51.8% in 2022, making the EU the most important export market by far. Apparels accounted for more than 90% of total exports to the EU in 2022.
