UN disability rights committee to review Bangladesh

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) of the United Nations is set to review Bangladesh next week in Geneva, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Bangladesh is one of 181 states that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and hence is required to submit regular reports to the committee composed of 18 international independent experts.

During the meetings in Geneva, committee members are expected to hold dialogues with the respective state delegations. They would also hear from organizations of persons with disabilities, NGOs, national human rights institutions, and independent monitoring frameworks on the human rights issues affecting people with disabilities and those close to them.

The inaugural session is scheduled to take place on March 9. 

A private meeting in connection with Bangladesh’s country briefing will be held on March 10.

The international experts are expected to hold their first dialogue with Bangladesh on March 11 and the second one the following day.

The dialogues would be based on reports  submitted earlier by the government and civil society of Bangladesh.

The committee is scheduled to publish its findings, known officially as concluding observations, on March 31.