The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its 2nd five-year strategic plan says it has little hope to achieve its four long-term goals unless it is made an efficient and effective institution.

In the strategic plan, the NHRC plans to develop a human rights culture throughout Bangladesh with a view to ensuring the rule of law, social justice, freedom and human dignity.

To attain this over the next five years (2016-2020), the NHRC identified four long-term goals.

 The goals are creating a human rights culture throughout the country where the dignity of everyone is respected; a fair society where violence by state is an episode of the past and officials know, and are held accountable for their responsibilities.

Its goals also include making Bangladesh respected internationally for its human rights compliance, ratification of all human rights instruments, up-to-date reporting to treaty bodies and open cooperation with UN special mechanisms and making NHRC credible, independent, objective, effective and respected for promoting human rights protection throughout the country.

The paper mentions that to attain these long-term goals clear strategies are essential. "NHRC's basic approach is to develop strong working relationships with civil society, state agencies and international human rights organizations," it says.

 On pressing human rights issues, the strategic paper says, " NHRC's mandate is broad as it has to act across the range of human rights laid out in the constitution and other international human rights instruments."

"These include civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. In reality, it is difficult to address all human rights issues at once, NHRC will need to prioritise," it added.

The human rights issues to get priority for 2016-2020 include violence by state mechanism particularly enforced disappearance, torture including custodial torture, extrajudicial killings and culture of impunity; violations of economic, social and cultural rights including health rights, discrimination against the marginalized and people with disabilities; full and prompt implementation of, and compliance with, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord focusing on land rights.

 The priority issues also include violence against indigenous, ethnic and religious minorities with special focus on land rights of the indigenous and other marginalized and excluded communities in plain lands; human trafficking, safe migration and discrimination and abuse of migrant workers; impediment to access to justice, particularly for the poor; occupational safety, wages and welfare including trade union rights of the garments workers and rights of freedom of expressions.

It plans to improve the human rights situation in detention centers through regular and robust monitoring, visit and investigate complaints and develop human rights manual for police, judiciary, public servants and the armed forces.