The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ensuring Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) in the garment industry, strengthening compliance capacity, and improving workers’ quality of life. Under this MoU, ActionAid Bangladesh will work as a strategic partner in implementing BGMEA’s Sustainable Strategic Vision 2030.

The MoU was signed today (Tuesday) at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara. BGMEA Senior Vice President Inamul Haq Khan signed on behalf of BGMEA, while Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, signed on behalf of AAB.

Also present at the signing ceremony were BGMEA Vice President Md. Rezwan Selim, BGMEA Director Nafis-Ud-Doula, BGMEA Director Sheikh Hossain Muhammad Mustafiz, BGMEA Director Rumana Rashid, along with senior officials of ActionAid Bangladesh.

The key areas of collaboration under the MoU include:

• Promoting women’s leadership in factories and ensuring a decent work environment for all.

• Building harassment- and discrimination-free workplaces and raising workers’ awareness of their rights.

• Reducing carbon emissions, promoting energy-efficient technologies, and encouraging green industrialization.

• Ensuring occupational health, supporting mental well-being, and facilitating access to social protection schemes for workers.

• Enhancing workforce skills and introducing specialized monitoring tools and training in factories in line with international standards (such as EUCSDD).

• Strengthening coordination among owners, workers, and buyers, and maintaining transparency through regular reviews.

It is worth noting that this five-year MoU, effective from January 2026 to December 2030, provides that ActionAid Bangladesh will extend financial support for these initiatives, while BGMEA will ensure infrastructure and logistical support through its member factories.