Günter Nooke, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, has arrived in Bangladesh together with the Human Rights Ambassadors from Denmark and the Netherlands.

The goal of the joint trip is to assess domestic developments and the human rights situation since the democratically elected government came to power in December 2008. To this end, the Commissioner and the Ambassadors will have talks with, among others, the Foreign, Justice and Interior Ministers, as well as representatives of civil society and relief organizations. The talks will focus on challenges in the spheres of impunity, land and women’s rights.

The delegation will also travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. This region is beset by tensions between those who have lived there for generations and Bengali settlers. A durable peaceful resolution of the conflicts is not in sight at present.

Before embarking on the trip, the Commissioner issued the following statement:

“The Government in Dhaka is tackling the major challenges with regard to respect for and protection of human rights. We want to encourage the Government in this endeavour. Particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a peaceful solution which does not involve a military presence has to be found.”