A Side event was held by Forum Asia and Civicus in the Palais des Nations on Thursday 25th of April 2013.  The purpose of the event was to discuss the restrictive environment in Bangladesh , including with respect  to the rights to  peaceful assembly and association which has heightened the vulnerability of human rights defenders.

Ms Renate Bloem from Civicus, the World Alliance of Citizen Participation, was the moderator of the session. She introduced the platform for dialogue as space to discuss the ground realities faced by human rights defenders, and explained that the purpose of the event was for the UPR Working group to engage with the Government of Bangladesh to recognise these issues. Renate emphasised how important it was for the government to open the doors for civil society organisations,and that it is a particularly important for the UPR Working Group to recognise this.