<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The visiting European Union (EU) delegation has recommended that Bangladesh step up its efforts to ensure that its policies and practices are aligned with International Labour Organization’s (ILO) standards.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The monitoring mission stressed the need to fully implement the National Action Plan on the labour sector, particularly guaranteeing freedom of association, collective bargaining, and an inclusive and representative participation of labour unions through tripartite consultation.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU officials welcomed progress made on safety standards in the garment sector and noted some positive steps towards improving economic and social rights.</div><div><br></div><div>“Challenges, however, remain in both labour and human rights,” said the EU team in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>On the human rights front, more efforts are needed to comply with the core EBA conventions, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), safeguarding the freedom of expression, freedom of association, the right to peaceful assembly, and creating an enabling environment for the civil society to carry out its activities, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU encouraged Bangladesh to accept and implement the recommendations of the 2023 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council in this regard. Soruce: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>