Dhaka: The Cabinet has approved the draft of the National Human Rights Commission Act, 2026, which is designed to protect, promote, and ensure human rights. The draft received its final nod during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Cabinet Division released a statement emphasizing the state’s commitment to respect human rights and its obligations under international conventions and treaties, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The draft law proposes the establishment of an effective and independent Human Rights Commission, consisting of a chairman and four commissioners, at least one of whom must be a woman. Priority will be given to ethnic communities and disadvantaged groups in forming the Commission, as recommended by a search committee that includes a university professor and representatives from civil society and ethnic communities.
The draft law empowers the Commission to conduct investigations and issue interim orders to ensure the immediate safety of victims and prevent further harm. It also proposes the creation of a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) unit to prevent torture, deaths, and enforced disappearances in custody, in line with the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).
In addition, the Cabinet has approved the Visa Policy 2026, aimed at simplifying the entry and exit of foreigners into Bangladesh, attracting foreign direct investment, and modernizing the visa system. The new policy introduces 34 visa categories, superseding the 33 categories of the 2006 policy. It aims to promote tourism, ensure national security, and establish a service-oriented immigration framework. The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Immigration and Passports, and Bangladesh missions abroad will implement the updated policy.
The Cabinet also gave the final approval to the draft “Bank Resolution (Amendment) Act, 2026,” which repeals Article 18(a) of the existing law. This article, intended to enable market-based restructuring of banks under resolution, failed to attract applications meeting its conditions. Consequently, the government decided to draft the amendment to repeal the provision entirely.