Global board members and leaders of Nirapon, which works for the improvement of worker safety in Bangladesh’s hundreds of factories, called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday (4 February, 2025).
Simone Sultana, chair of Nirapon, and Tapan Chowdhury, independent director of the group, led the team. Representatives of top Western brands and retailers joined the meeting.
Chief Adviser told the Nirapon officials that the Interim Government was committed to implementing important labour reforms to take the country’s labour laws to ILO standards.
“We’ve already taken some moves. You will see the changes very soon,” he said.
Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy of the Chief Adviser, said the Interim Goverment facilitated an 18-point agreement between labour unions and manufacturers, which was part of a multi-pronged approach to bringing stability in the sector and helped boost garment exports.
Simon Sultana thanked the Chief Adviser for his efforts to initiate reforms in the garment industry. She noted that Nirapon with its local partners BRAC and Amader Kotha, play a leading role in developing and delivering innovative tools to enable factories to manage their own safety. Representatives of brands also expressed their satisfaction at the improving factory safety in the country.
Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and head of the SDG Affairs, and Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, the chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
