President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Sunday urged the international community to ensure permanent solutions to all kinds of conflicts and stand by the under-privileged and oppressed people.
“No war, all sorts of problems can be resolved only through discussions,” he told a function in a city hotel on the occasion of ‘Human Rights Day 2023’.
Referring to the indiscriminate killing of civilians, children and massive destruction in Palestine and the Russia-Ukraine war, the President expressed profound shock and concern over the conflicts and at the same time strongly condemned the barbaric attacks by the Israeli occupation forces in Palestine.
President Shahabuddin thanked the government of Qatar for its recent ceasefire initiative in the trouble-prone Gaza of Palestine.
He hoped that all countries, human rights bodies and rights activists, irrespective of party, religion and caste affiliations, would raise their voices in protest against the human rights violation across the globe.
The President said, “Human rights are eternal and universal . . . But unfortunately, many countries and organisations are indulging in double standards in the name of human rights.”
The Head of State advised all rights bodies to be always vigilant in protecting human rights.
“The human rights commission must stand up for the oppressed and against the oppressors irrespective of the party affiliations, big or small and the rich or the poor,” the President added.
He emphasised on increasing the practice of human rights in all parts of society and state, including family, educational institutions and workplace.
The President said the HR commission should stand by the oppressed and continue all efforts to punish the oppressors so that the commission can become a symbol of trust and confidence to the exploited people and the victims.
He also asked the commission to take necessary initiatives to increase research and publication for the development, develop human rights culture in Bangladesh, increase round-the-clock monitoring of human rights violations, create awareness on human rights issues and conduct advocacy activities.
“People’s involvement should be increased in all activities to increase cooperation in protecting human rights, including mutual dialogue, meetings, seminars, workshops, education and promotion,” the head of state observed.
Shahabuddin said the human rights situation would improve if the prominent personalities and opinion leaders of the society, including religious scholars, imams, teachers and professional representatives can be involved in the human rights process.
Noting that the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had waged a movement with the great vow to establish human rights in all strata of life, the President said, “Our beloved motherland Bangladesh was born through the Great Liberation War in 1971 as a result of the Bangabandhu’s relentless struggle for establishing the human rights.”
He said since 2009, Bangladesh has achieved significant success in various socio-economic indicators, including improvement of people’s quality of life, poverty reduction, expansion of education and medical facilities, reduction of child and maternal mortality rates and empowerment of women.
The President said Bangladesh has been praised globally for its visionary leadership and humanitarianism in dealing with the crisis, in addition to providing shelter to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar.
Apart from this, Bangladesh has set an example in the world by playing a strong role in the protection of human rights during the ‘Covid-19’ pandemic, the president noted.
He said Bangladesh has played a significant role in protecting human rights, not only at the national level, but also at the international level.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haque, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed and NHRC’s Full-time Member Md Selim Reza also spoke.
A documentary of NHRC was screened on the occasion.