UN special rapporteur due Aug 31

United Nations Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt will visit Bangladesh from August 31 to September 9 to assess the state of freedom of religion or belief in the country.

“I am keen to learn more about the efforts to eliminate root causes of violence, intimidation and vigilantism in the name of religion and developments in promoting and protecting religious freedom, especially initiatives of inter-religious dialogues, following the first country visit by my predecessor in May 2000,” Bielefeldt said.

It will be a timely opportunity for him to assess the freedom of religion or belief in relation to issues of gender, women, children, and in particular, religious minorities or indigenous communities, read an UN press release from Geneva today.

The work of the special rapporteur, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, also requires him to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present specific recommendations to overcome them.

During his stay in Bangladesh, Bielefeldt will meet with various government officials, representatives of religious or belief communities, minority and indigenous representatives, civil society organisations and the UN.

He will share his preliminary findings with the media in a press conference at 3:00pm on September 9 at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Following his visit, the special rapporteur will present a report with his conclusions and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in 2016.