Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today spoke at a national consultation on the draft National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025, held at the InterContinental Hotel ballroom in Dhaka. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Oct 11, 2025 (BSS) - Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today called for strengthening the institutional capacity and legal provisions of the proposed National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025 to ensure meaningful protection of human rights and environmental justice in Bangladesh.

She made the call while speaking at the national consultation on the draft of the ordinance in a city hotel, said a ministry press release.

Rizwana said that the draft ordinance is a well-drafted and comprehensive piece of legislation, encompassing investigation, recommendation, compensation, training, arbitration, and mediation, but its success will depend on how effectively the Commission is empowered and capacitated.

"Just putting people in the chair will not be enough," she cautioned, adding, "We must orient them with the soft values of human rights, alongside the institutional and legal mechanisms necessary for enforcement."

Referring to the judiciary's role in addressing rights violations, the adviser emphasized the need for stronger coordination between the judiciary and the human rights bodies. 

"Despite important directions from the courts, a sense of helplessness sometimes persists in ensuring enforcement," she observed.

Rizwana stressed that the Commission's recommendations should carry both moral and legal weight. 

"Moral force is vital in a country like Bangladesh, but there must also be enforceable mechanisms, particularly for arbitration and mediation outcomes," she noted.

Highlighting areas for improvement in the draft, she suggested expanding the definition of "person" to explicitly include government agencies and law enforcement bodies, which she said is critical for ensuring accountability. 

She also proposed the establishment of a panel of lawyers within the Commission to strengthen its investigative and advisory capacity, as well as regular evaluation of its performance.

The adviser further noted that the new Human Rights Commission law should complement other proposed commissions - such as those on police reform, women's rights, enforced disappearances, and media freedom - to create a coherent and reinforcing legal ecosystem for human rights protection.

In her closing remarks, Rizwana Hasan congratulated the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for its inclusive and consultative approach in finalizing the draft ordinance. 

"While protecting human rights defenders, please do not forget the environmental human rights defenders," she said, citing the alarming rise in attacks and killings of such defenders globally.
 
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division Secretary Dr. Hafiz Ahmed Chowdhury, Swiss Ambassador Reto Siegfried Renggli, Deputy Head of Mission of the Danish Embassy Anders B. Carlsen, UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller, among others, also spoke.

Romana Schweiger, Law, Justice and Security Adviser, UNDP Bangladesh, moderated the event also attended by senior officials of the ministry and the national human rights commission, teachers and students from various universities in the country and abroad, representatives of various human rights organizations and institutions, and lawyers from the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.