The high-profile delegation from the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), headed by its Executive Director Javier Ruperez, will meet a raft of high-government officials to check on Bangladesh's promise to draw up an Anti-Terrorism Act and further update the Money-laundering Act to tighten terrorist funding.

The home and foreign ministries have already held preparatory meetings for the UN-visit, say sources.

The country had previously pledged to write up a counter-terrorism law that until now has not been implemented.

However, a draft of the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, 2007 has been shelved at the law ministry since March. It defines terrorists, terrorist acts, terrorist organisations and prescribes punishments including death sentence and life imprisonment.

The law ministry is also vetting an amendment to the Money-Laundering Act, 2002, which has already been approved, in principle, by the council of advisers. Meanwhile, the newly-created Financial Intelligence Unit of the Bangladesh Bank officially started their operations yesterday.

During their stay, the UN delegation will meet advisers, high officials from the home, foreign, law and education ministries, as well as the attorney general, officials from the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and National Security Intelligence.

They will also visit the Chittagong port to check its standard of security and scanning procedures, which would focus on better control of aviation and maritime access for illegal entrants.

Besides, the counter-terror team is expected to meet the officials concerned with the madrasa education system.

In the wake of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1373, which, among its provisions, obliges all states to criminalise assistance for terrorist activities, deny financial support and safe haven to terrorists and share information about groups planning terrorist attacks.

The 15-member Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established at the same time to monitor implementation of the resolution.

Since September 2005, the Executive Directorate's mandate has included monitoring the member states' implementation of Security Council resolution 1624 (2005) on incitement to acts of terrorism.