Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the terms and conditions are for the provision of aid to Bangladesh to promote human rights and freedom of expression; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure compliance with those terms and conditions.

DFID Bangladesh funds programmes that support civil society to hold the government to account, protect civic space and promote rights, particularly for marginalised or vulnerable groups. These programmes comply with DFID programme management requirements, including thorough due diligence assessments and robust monitoring and evaluation.

Where appropriate, programmes that provide funding directly through government systems or work in the security and justices sectors are assessed against DFID Partnership Principles or Overseas Justice and Security Assessment (OSJA) criteria respectively. These ensure programming is human rights compliant. DFID programmes complement FCO Magna Carta human rights funding and FCO diplomatic engagement.

Details of DFID Bangladesh programmes are available on the Devtracker website.

I was deeply concerned by the violence in Dhaka in response to peaceful road safety protests by students and the subsequent arrest of journalist Shahidul Alam. I expressed UK concern regarding the response to the road safety protests, and raised Dr Alam's case, with the Government of Bangladesh, during my visit to Bangladesh 28-31 August. The Foreign Secretary also raised Dr Alam’s case with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when they met on 24 September in New York.