The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has today published a Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled ‘Bangladesh – Country Overview’. The report provides an overview of the situation in Bangladesh, relevant for the international protection status determination of Bangladeshi applicants.

In the first ten months of 2017, Bangladeshi nationals lodged more than 18 000 applications in the EU+, ranking eighth among the most common citizenships of origin of applicants.  Moreover, the number of Bangladeshi applications awaiting a first-instance decision has increased by 44 % in the past 12 months, to close to 18 000 at the end of October 2017.  This constitutes one of the largest decision-making backlogs of all countries of origin at EU+ level, ranking seventh.  

WThe report was produced in the framework of the EASO Operating Plan to Italy (December 2016). It was drafted by two deployed COI specialists from Bulgaria and the United Kingdom together with two members of the Italian COI unit. In accordance with the EASO COI Report Methodology, the report was reviewed by COI experts from the Czech Republic, Norway, Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic. 

The terms of reference of this report were defined by EASO and the drafting team, based on information needs identified by the Italian National Asylum Commission (NAC) and COI experts in EU+ countries. 

In this ‘Country Overview’ report, EASO aims to provide information on a wide range of topics of particular relevance for international protection status determination (Refugee Status and Subsidiary Protection) for Bangladeshi applicants. 

The report provides general country information about the geography, demography and economy in Bangladesh, as well as state structures, political system and parties. Formal and informal justice systems, criminal law and the security sector is also included. A number of non-state armed groups are described as well as recent terrorist attacks. The report also includes chapters on the freedoms of expression and religion, as well as the situation for the main minority ethnic groups, women and LGBT persons. Freedom of movement, trafficking, land disputes, personal loans and debts, and the situation for the Rohingya refugees from Burma closes the report. 

It is EASO’s intention to continue to produce such reports on important countries of origin and to update them on a regular basis in order to raise and harmonise COI standards in the EU and to further support the practical implementation of the Common European Asylum System.

Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office on the following email address: press@easo.europa.eu