UN to support police, election reforms

The United Nations will support Bangladesh in wide ranging areas, including police and election reforms as the interim government rolls out major restructuring of the country’s institutions, the UN’s resident coordinator said today (22 September).

The chief of UN in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his Tejgaon office where they discussed reforms, corruption, floods, Rohingya crisis and the UN-led investigation on the July-August carnage.

Gwyn Lewis expressed her support for the reform initiatives undertaken by the Interim Government and she thanked Professor Yunus “for taking up extraordinary role” as the head of the post-revolution administration.

The chief adviser said this was the “most unifying moment” for the whole nation and the main job of his government was to “set an example” for everyone. 

“This is a great opportunity for the country to reform the economy and fix almost every institution,” he said.

Gwyn Lewis enquired about the reforms in the security forces, including police administration. The chief adviser said the government has made police reform a top of its priorities.

The chief adviser said the government was also committed to setting up an integrated national IT system, which will ease hassles and cut corruption in the country. 

He said the government has also formed a commission to make major reform in the electoral system so that votes can be held free and fair.  

Lewis said the UN-led investigation team has already started working on the murders and mayhem committed during July and August. 

She said UN agencies, WHO and ILO, were looking at ways to help the injured victims and people who were traumatised by the events.

She said the UN has provided four million dollars for the post flood rehabilitation in the country’s eastern and southern region. 

She said some 18 million people in Bangladesh have been hit by floods since the beginning of the monsoon and the UN was coordinating aid from the agencies and charities for the flood victims.

Professor Yunus sought UN help for instituting an early warning system for floods in South Asia.

They also discussed environmental, climate change and the Chittagong Hill Tracts issues, with Lewis outlining the aid work the UN agencies have done in the three hill districts.

Professor Yunus sought UN help for the building a better future for the Rohingya children in the camps, saying, “a whole generation of angry young people is growing up there”.