Opinion

Are human rights being followed around the world?

There has been international focus not only on the observance and violation of human rights principles but also on the culture of impunity in this regard. This has included examination of erosion of democratic norms, growing authoritarianism and alleged crackdowns on freedom of press, speech and dis...

Opinion

Multifaceted effects of Brexit are beginning to emerge

After one year of Brexit analysts feel that the reality of one year of trading outside the Single Market and Customs Union has become very challenging. There has been a huge drop in sales of British products and in many cases they appear to have become relatively uncompetitive in Europe.A year after...

Opinion

Diverse impacts created by climate change and the pandemic

Several multi-dimensional factors have been seriously impacting the world in more ways than one. The Pandemic and its mutated variants have changed socio-economic expectations and created paradigms which are casting long shadows on our lives.It may be pointed out that UNICEF has termed the Pandemic ...

Opinion

United States recalls extremist assault on democracy

United States Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking ahead of Presi­dent Biden at the US Capitol on 6 January, this year, compared January 6, 2021 to September 11, 2001 when al-Qaeda hijackers flew airliners into the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia. She added t...

Opinion

Overcoming challenges faced by migrant workers

The preceding month has seen efforts being undertaken by our Prime Minister and the Ministry for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment to try and resolve and overcome some of the continuing challenges faced abroad by our expatriate workers. This aspect is significant for us because the process ...

Opinion

The world’s commitment towards human rights

The end of  2021 has persuaded geo-strategists  to  try and  determine as to whether different communities and countries have been  involved in good governance, participatory democracy and the upholding of human rights.. Such an effort has only created debate and divergence ...

Opinion

Arms industry has grown despite pandemic

In her speech during the concluding session of the World Peace Conference-2021 in Dhaka on 5 December, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recalled Article 25 crafted by Bangabandhu in the Bangladesh Constitution within nine months after our independence. In this regard she referred to the fact that within...

Opinion

The need for containing cyber attacks

There is general consensus all over the world that coordinated and serious attention needs to be given towards respon­ding to cyber attacks. Malevolent cyber activities have become a growing threat.Cyberattacks are posing a number of chat lenges, both technical and political. Many countries are ...

Special Supplement

Historical dynamic that led to independence and Victory Day in December

An All-Party Conference was convened in Lahore in February 1966 where the central issue was the Tashkent agreement and its ramifications. The participants also included delegates from the then East Pakistan, led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He used this forum to present his Six Point Progra...

Opinion

Improving different aspects of the RTI Act, 2009

Some have raised questions as to whether the RTI process is working. The answer is yes and no.The evolving dynamics within the New World Economic Order prompted the unelected government of Bangladesh to adopt Right to Information as a part of its governance dynamics through an Ordinance on 20 Octobe...

Opinion

Problems confronting Facebook will not be easy to overcome

Facebook CEO Ma­rk Zu­cker­berg announced on 28 October that Facebook Inc. had been “rebranded” as Meta Platforms Inc. — Meta for short. Analysts from around the world were quick to point out that this was a desperate effort on the part of that institution to move away ...

Opinion

The use of RTI and the other side of the coin

Kashmir has pro­vided two dimensions as a source of news over the last month. One has been very positive and constructive and the other- the usual negative imprint related to militancy and undesirable after effects.As one, involved with the Right to Information Act for nearly two decades, it wil...

Opinion

Impact of electronic surveillance

Since the beginning of this year our authorities have been facing criticism over electronic surveillance related to individuals, institutions and also the media. There has been mention that this has been due to lack of democracy and rights that should normally be available for our citizens. Many soc...

Opinion

Advancing human rights through human rights education

Human Rights Education (HRE) is generally understood to be a learning process that assists in building up the required knowledge, values, and proficiency pertaining to human rights. This is undertaken with the objective of developing an acceptable human rights culture that will be of benefit to ever...

Opinion

Creating a stable and poverty-free Bangladesh

Bangladesh believes in a coordinated and constructive engagement that will assist in creating a hunger free country where there will be no trace of terrorism or fundamentalism. This scenario will be critical for Bangladesh to emerge, as a middle income country and then afterwards as a developed nati...

Opinion

Goals and the COP26 climate summit

We not only have a continuing Covid pandemic scenario but are also witness to what can happen due to the effects of climate change. The impacts of both these dimensions are underlining our vulnerabilities. We have to fight both these emergencies head-on. However, to succeed, we need to back up our e...

Opinion

E-commerce has to be more effective and accountable

E-commerce is electronic activity associated with the buying or selling of products on online services or through the use of the Internet. This process is facilitated through diverse technologies, including- electronic funds transfer, coordinated supply chain management, internet marketing, electron...

Opinion

Sustainable development through better water governance

Earlier this year in March a discussion took place in the United Nations framework about the factors related to water governance, the role that available data plays in this regard and also about how the lack of safe drinking water can affect the matrix of socio-economic development.  In this co...

Opinion

The evolving dynamics in Germany

One mo­nth has nearly passed since the 2021 German federal election was held on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of their 20th Parliament which is also known as the Bundestag. Angela Merkel, the incumbent Chancellor of Germany chose not to run in this election. This is the first time in po...

Opinion

Tackling fundamentalism and militancy needs coordinated policy

Terrorism is, in the broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a means to create terror among masses of people; or fear to achieve a religious or political aim. It is used in this regard primarily to refer to violence during peacetime or in war against non-combatants &ndash...