Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF) and BRAC inked a memorandum of understanding yesterday on imparting training on human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct in major industrial sectors in Bangladesh.

Under the agreement, both organisations will work collaboratively in utilising their resources and comprehensive training programmes for the various industrial sectors to address the post LDC-graduation challenges.

Farooq Ahmed, secretary general of the BEF, and SK Jenefa K Jabbar, director of social compliance and safeguarding at BRAC, signed the deal at the BEF's Gulshan office.

The trainings are specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of various industrial sectors, including that of garment and textile, leather and leather goods, footwear, other manufacturing, agro-processing, and IT and information technology enabled services.

The programmes will emphasise the adoption of international labour standards, labour laws and environmental regulations, fostering a culture of respect, fairness, and sustainability within businesses, according to the organisers.

Being at the threshold of making the graduation from a least developed country (LDC), Bangladesh must ensure equitable economic growth and protection of human rights, said Ardashir Kabir, president of the BEF.

"The goal of this partnership is to create comprehensive training programs on these matters so that businesses can meet global standards and mitigate risks arising from rapid industrial growth," he said.

With the ever-increasing global requirement for compliance, there was a need to set up relevant training programmes that worked with the private sector, said Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC.

Kamran T Rahman, the newly elected president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also spoke at the event.