Bangladesh: Strengthening government cooperation to counter organised crime and violent extremism

Dhaka, Bangladesh/30 April 2019: In an official visit to Bangladesh in April, UNODC South Asia Representative Mr. Sergey Kapinos called on H.E. Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, Minister of Home Affairs and Brigadier General A K M Mustafa Kamal Pasha, Inspector General (Prisons). 

The meetings were focused on strengthening cooperation on efforts to counter organised crime and foster criminal justice reforms.

Reflecting on UNODC's ongoing initiatives in the country, the Honourable Minister conveyed his appreciation and assured support to future programs.  

UNODC recently spearheaded a project aimed at training prison officials on incidence preparedness and prevention of violent extremism in Bangladesh.

The project is currently finalizing the development of a prisoner database management system, which will be piloted in two selected prisons in the coming months.

In this context, the first Project Steering Committee meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Mr. Md. Shahiduzzaman, Secretary, Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Members were informed about the progress of the work undertaken so far, and apprised of upcoming activities. The Committee Members extended their support to the project, stressing on the need to scale up the prisoner database management system across the country.