UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk emphasised that citizens should have a genuine role in democratic governance and decision-making. Speaking at Dhaka University on Tuesday, he highlighted the need for "free and fair" elections, which require respecting freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
"This is an opportunity for inclusive, sustainable development policies that benefit everyone," Turk said. He called for consigning inequality, marginalisation, corruption, and human rights abuses to history. "The present and future belong to equality and justice," he added, describing Bangladesh as rich in potential, culture, and creativity.
Turk commended the students and faculty of Dhaka University for their long history of activism, advocating for freedom, equality, and democracy. He urged Bangladesh to prioritise democracy and human rights, emphasising its potential to build an inclusive and just society. He cited Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury’s insight that the university inspires both dreams of freedom and the drive to make them reality.
Young people face an increasingly challenging world, Turk said, marked by economic uncertainty, deepening inequality, and climate crises that Bangladesh knows all too well. He called on Bangladesh to seize this historic chance to renew its democracy, introduce reforms, and pursue justice and healing. True democracy, he noted, ensures that development benefits everyone and that all voices are heard, regardless of class, gender, race, political ideology, or religion.
Turk stressed that justice must address not only past wrongs but the root causes of social divides, beginning with a national dialogue focused on truth, accountability, and healing. He also emphasised the need for psychosocial support for those affected by trauma, calling for international support in this healing process.
Bangladesh, he noted, has a crucial opportunity to address longstanding human rights issues, foster an open and tolerant civic space, and reform state institutions to restore social trust and prevent future abuses. Reflecting on the country's political history, Turk stated that a human rights approach requires a level playing field for all political parties.