The Advisory Council has approved several important ordinances, proposals, and policies during its weekly meeting. A total of 13 major agendas were discussed at the meeting.
The meeting was held on Thursday (January 22) at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, informed about the decisions during a briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy after the meeting. He stated that out of the 13 agendas discussed, 11 were finally approved, while drafts of two ordinances were sent back for further review.
The draft ordinances that received final approval at the meeting include the Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zone Act (Repeal) Ordinance, 2026; the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026; the Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026; the Gambling Prevention Ordinance, 2026; the Dhaka Central University Ordinance, 2026; the Private Educational Institution Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefit Board Ordinance, 2026; and the Private Educational Institution Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust Ordinance, 2026.
Additionally, the draft of the Information Right Ordinance, 2026, also received policy approval from the Advisory Council.
Other approvals at the meeting included the draft of the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) agreement between Bangladesh and Malaysia; the proposal for signing the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (BGEPA); and the National Poultry Development Policy, 2026.
The Advisory Council also approved a proposal to declare February 11 as a public holiday, in addition to February 12 (the polling day), to increase voter turnout and ensure smooth law and order management for the Thirteenth National Parliamentary Election.
Shafiqul Alam further stated that the drafts of the Money Laundering Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and the Bangladesh National Qualification Framework (BNQF) Policy, 2026, were returned to the relevant authorities for further review.
Foyez Ahmed, Senior Assistant Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, was also present at the press briefing. He mentioned that the European Union is interested in collaborating with Bangladesh to maintain environmental balance.