A/HRC/39/12 Introduction 1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its thirtieth session from 7 to 18 May 2018. The review of Bangladesh was held at the 11th meeting, on 14 May 2018. The delegation of Bangladesh was headed by the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Anisul Huq. At its 17th meeting, held on 17 May 2018, the Working Group adopted the report on Bangladesh. 2. On 10 January 2018, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of Bangladesh: Afghanistan, Rwanda and Ukraine. 3. In accordance with paragraph 15 of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and paragraph 5 of the annex to Council resolution 16/21, the following documents were issued for the review of Bangladesh: (a) A national report submitted/written presentation made in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) (A/HRC/WG.6/30/BGD/1); (b) A compilation prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in accordance with paragraph 15 (b) (A/HRC/WG.6/30/BGD/2); (c) A summary prepared by OHCHR in accordance with paragraph 15 (c) (A/HRC/WG.6/30/BGD/3). 4. A list of questions prepared in advance by Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Liechtenstein, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay was transmitted to Bangladesh through the troika. These questions are available on the website of the universal periodic review. I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process A. Presentation by the State under review 5. The head of the delegation said that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights”, referring to article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and stated that, regrettably, discrimination and human rights violations were still present in what some analysts were calling a post–human rights era. In such a global context, Bangladesh had opened its border for the forcibly displaced nationals of Myanmar. 6. He said that, despite constraints, the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, had welcomed the Rohingya, whom he described as the most persecuted people in the world, who had been forced to flee from their homes in Myanmar. Bangladeshi people had embraced the 1.1 million helpless Rohingya, who, he said, had suffered the worst kind of human rights violations in Myanmar, and with support from the international community had provided basic services and temporary shelter. Humanitarian agencies had been given full access to Cox’s Bazar, where the world’s largest camp sheltered the Rohingya. 7. Bangladesh had made remarkable progress in terms of socioeconomic development, attaining record GDP growth of 7.5 per cent. The poverty rate had been brought down to 24.3 per cent in 2016, from 38.4 per cent in 2006. Life expectancy had increased to 72 years. 8. Bangladesh had met all three criteria for graduation from least developed country status, and believed that its inclusive development agenda, of leaving no one behind, was closely linked with its vision of ensuring human rights for all. The head of the delegation reported that, in the past five years, Bangladesh had made every possible effort to 2