IPU pledges deeper cooperation to strengthen Bangladesh’s parliamentary democracy.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will deepen cooperation with Bangladesh to strengthen its parliamentary democracy and enhance lawmakers’ capacity as the country moves forward with a young and newly constituted parliament, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said here today.
“The IPU will work with Bangladesh and extend its cooperation to further strengthen democracy in the country,” Shama told journalists at the Foreign Ministry here following a meeting with visiting IPU Secretary General Anda Filip.
She said the IPU delegation is observing Bangladesh’s current political and democratic situation and has interacted with lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties as well as women parliamentarians.
The delegation is examining how parliamentary democracy is functioning in Bangladesh following the country’s return to democratic governance after years of political transition, she said.
Shama said the IPU views Bangladesh’s new parliament positively, particularly because of the presence of a significant number of young and first-time lawmakers.
“Bangladesh now has a young and new parliament. Many of its members are first-time MPs and comparatively young, with greater representation of youth in parliament. They view this very positively,” she said.
The state minister said her discussion with the IPU Secretary General also covered ways to enhance the skills and institutional capacity of Bangladeshi lawmakers and strengthen their engagement with parliamentarians across the world.
She said Bangladesh is interested in greater participation by its lawmakers in the IPU’s capacity-building and training programmes, including those held in Geneva.
The two sides also discussed democracy, human rights, peace and stability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), women’s empowerment, gender equality and climate resilience -- areas Shama described as priorities for the government.
“On behalf of the government, I expressed our commitment to engaging more closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” she said.
The IPU is scheduled to hold a conference in Tanzania next month, where Bangladesh’s Speaker and parliament members are expected to participate, she added.
Filip arrived in Dhaka on Sunday night and is scheduled to leave Bangladesh on September 2.
During her visit, the IPU Secretary General has already visited the Bangladesh Parliament and held interactions with lawmakers.
She also visited the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, where she viewed photographs, documents, memorabilia and other exhibits depicting the July Mass Uprising of 2024 and events leading up to it.
