Hill Voice, 25 July 2025, Dhaka: With the aim of supporting the protection and promotion of human rights in the country, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the interim government of Bangladesh have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a mission. The 28-clauses MoU was signed by Asad Alam Siam, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, on behalf of the country, and by High Commissioner Volker Türk on behalf of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

On Friday, 18 July 2025, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announced this information in a statement issued from Geneva.

In a statement, High Commissioner Volker Türk said, “This Memorandum of Understanding sends a strong message of commitment to the protection of human rights in Bangladesh. It will enable our mission to work directly on the ground in close cooperation with the Government of Bangladesh, civil society, and other partners.”

Once the office is established, the United Nations will be able to provide training and technical assistance to various agencies of the Government of Bangladesh. At the same time, the UN Human Rights Mission will work to strengthen the capacity of both the government and civil society to fulfill national and international human rights commitments.

Following the publication of this news, human rights activists stated that the establishment of the UN office in Bangladesh would contribute to improving the human rights situation in the country.

Indigenous organizations have called on the United Nations to establish a separate cell for indigenous peoples within the human rights office in Dhaka.

On the other hand, Islamist political parties and organizations in Bangladesh have been expressing their opposition to the establishment of the Human Rights Commission office in Dhaka from the very beginning.

On Saturday, 19 July 2025, in a statement to the media, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh declared, “The Human Rights Commission office will not be allowed to open in Bangladesh.”

They have warned that if the agreement is not cancelled immediately, they will announce a “strict program of action.”