UNDP researches political violence in Bangladesh

The United Nations (UN) and its partner agencies yesterday reiterated their long-standing commitment to support the Bangladeshi government in strengthening democratic governance and sustainable development of the country.

The comment was made at a roundtable organised by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)  in its office in the capital to share the initial key results of a study on the impact of political violence in Bangladesh, said a press release.

The programme was organised as part of the events commemorating International Day of Non-Violence which is observed annually on October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who pioneered the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

The study is being conducted by Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman of Power and Participation Research Centre under UNDP's ARENA (Areas for Research, Engagement and National Agendas) Project, which aims to encourage greater use of evidence based research to inform policy decisions and engage a wider community in developing public interest driven solutions.

The research Dr Zillur is leading will help empirically demonstrate, the cost of political violence, in both economic and sociological terms, hoped UNDP Country Director for Bangladesh, Pauline Tamesis.

Prime minister's advisor HT Imam, and national and international representatives at the roundtable underscored the importance of combating the causes of political violence in Bangladesh and its impact on the society and economy.