Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, minister to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, today stressed the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of village courts and recruit women into the village police force to ensure justice at the grassroots level.

He made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the Secretariat in Dhaka.

The four-member delegation was led by Deputy Resident Representative Sonali Dayaratne.

The two sides discussed the progress and institutional development of the village court project, focusing on ensuring accessible, speedy and low-cost justice for rural people.

The minister said village courts have played an important role in resolving rural disputes for more than a century.

He said quick settlement of minor disputes at the local level would reduce pressure on conventional courts and make justice more accessible for ordinary people.

The meeting also discussed increasing women’s participation in local government institutions.

Fakhrul expressed interest in recruiting women into the village police force, saying greater female participation would make local government operations more effective, transparent and citizen-friendly.

The minister further also said local government institutions need stronger capacity to implement development and social protection programmes effectively.

In this regard, he said technical and institutional support from development partners could play a vital role.

Both the government and UNDP expressed optimism about strengthening cooperation to improve the effectiveness of village courts, ensure local-level justice and empower women.

Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan and other senior ministry officials were present at the meeting.