Dhaka: Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, recently stated that the opposition is playing a ‘highly cooperative role’ in the current 13th parliament. He highlighted that the government is ‘liberal and proactive’ in pursuing necessary constitutional amendments. These remarks were made during a courtesy call by UNDP Resident Representative in Bangladesh, Stefan Liller, at the Speaker’s office in the Parliament Bhaban.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the meeting covered various topics, such as e-governance, e-parliament, activities of parliamentary standing committees, parliamentary sessions, and rules of procedure. Speaker Hafiz Uddin emphasized the need to identify specific areas of cooperation between the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) and UNDP.
He suggested that UNDP could support new Members of Parliament (MPs) by organizing orientation courses to help them understand their primary responsibilities, functions, and jurisdiction. Additionally, he proposed that a delegation of Members of Parliament, particularly women MPs, could engage in bilateral exchange visits with UNDP to strengthen institutional collaboration.
The Speaker also stressed the importance of introducing a digitized library system in parliament, incorporating smart technologies into daily parliamentary proceedings, and establishing an in-house printing and press facility.
During the meeting, Stefan Liller described the current parliament as ‘vibrant’ and reaffirmed that UNDP has long been a trusted development partner of Bangladesh’s national parliament. He assured that UNDP’s cooperation would continue in the future.
The meeting also included discussions on the ongoing energy crisis and the democratic system. Both parties appreciated the neutral stance of several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, as mentioned in a press release.