Forty young Human Rights Fellows from across Bangladesh graduated on 25 July after completing a fellowship designed to promote human rights awareness and advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.

Supported by the Government of Switzerland and led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the fellowship equipped participants with the knowledge and skills to promote human rights, encourage safe reporting of violations and inspire civic engagement.

The graduation ceremony, held in Gazipur, brought together fellows, trainers and UNDP representatives to reflect on the programme’s achievements, share experiences from the field and discuss ways to expand youth-led human rights education across the country. The programme included an impact presentation, alumni reflections, certificate distribution and discussions on the future of the fellowship.

The fellowship built on a series of Human Rights Orientation Sessions that introduced 287 young people to fundamental human rights concepts. From 151 applicants, 40 fellows were selected and trained through an intensive Training of Trainers programme before conducting 241 online orientation sessions across Bangladesh.

According to UNDP, the fellows reached 4,129 young people from all districts of the country through these sessions.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Dragan Popovic, Senior Programme Advisor for Governance at UNDP Bangladesh, said, “These fellows have demonstrated that young people are not only beneficiaries of human rights education. They can also be educators, advocates and trusted voices within their communities. Their work shows how knowledge, when combined with leadership and local action, can contribute to a stronger culture of human rights.”

One of the fellows from the Chittagong Hill Tracts said, “The fellowship gave us more than knowledge. It gave us the confidence and practical skills to speak about human rights, engage our communities and help others understand where they can seek support when their rights are violated.”

The initiative is part of UNDP’s broader efforts to support human rights defenders and strengthen collaboration among young advocates, civil society, the media and national institutions.

Implemented through the Strengthening Institutions, Policies and Services (SIPS) Project with support from Switzerland, the programme aims to strengthen accountable and inclusive institutions while advancing human rights, gender equality, peace and justice in Bangladesh.

Mahmudul Hasan, Project Manager at UNDP, and Sousan Suha, Youth Engagement Analyst, also spoke at the concluding event.