Bangladesh has called for a stronger international legal framework to prevent crimes against humanity, ensure justice for victims and hold perpetrators accountable, drawing on its experience of sheltering more than one million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar.
Addressing the Sixth Committee of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Bangladesh delegate Muhammad Nawshad Zamir urged the international community to adopt a robust convention that would close existing accountability gaps and prevent perpetrators from escaping justice across national borders.
According to a message received in Dhaka on Wednesday, Zamir proposed three key provisions for the proposed convention, including international cooperation in preserving evidence and protecting witnesses in countries hosting victims of crimes against humanity.
He also called for comprehensive support for survivors, including access to justice at both national and international levels, alongside greater international solidarity in sharing the humanitarian and economic burdens borne by host countries.
Drawing on Bangladesh’s experience of providing shelter to more than one million Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar, Zamir said countries receiving victims must be fully integrated into international accountability mechanisms.
He noted that host countries often shoulder substantial humanitarian, economic and social responsibilities while also helping preserve evidence and facilitating access to victims and witnesses. Such responsibilities, he argued, should be recognised and supported through stronger international cooperation.
Referring to Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising, Zamir cited a United Nations report estimating that up to 1,400 people, including children, were killed during the violence. The report also called for investigations into possible crimes against humanity.
Bangladesh further advocated universal jurisdiction and stronger extradition mechanisms to ensure that alleged perpetrators could not evade accountability simply by crossing international borders.
Zamir stressed that the proposed convention should give particular attention to preventing atrocities and securing justice for women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by widespread or systematic violence.
He also said the new legal instrument should complement, rather than undermine, the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC), while safeguarding the court’s independence.
Bangladesh called for a comprehensive and effective convention capable of strengthening international cooperation, protecting victims and witnesses, and addressing gaps in existing mechanisms for holding perpetrators accountable.
Emphasising the need for a meaningful legal framework, Zamir warned against weakening the proposed instrument to accommodate competing political interests.
“A convention diluted until it offends no one will protect no one,” he said.