Dhaka – Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Monday said statelessness is a global problem, not a single country one.
Political will and collective initiatives from the global community are needed to solve the crisis, she said while unveiling the cover of a handbook titled ‘Nationality and Statelessness: Handbook for Parliamentarians’ in the city.
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly launched the Bangla version of the handbook at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.
IPU President Saber Hossain Chowdhury and UNHCR Bangladesh representative Shinji Kubo also spoke on the occasion.
Shirin Sharmin, also the Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, said the statelessness is a humane problem, which affects individuals, and the family and social life, said a Parliament Secretariat handout.
The statelessness creates social instability which slows down the economic and social development, she said.
Parliamentarians can play an important role in solving the problem by enacting local laws in line with the international ones in this regard, she added.
Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Planning Ministry Abul Kalam Azad, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Muhammad Faruk Khan, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Disaster Management and Relief Ministry Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu and Israfil Alam MP were, among others, present at the event. -UNB
