Dhaka, Aug. 27 -- The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh and UN Women on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence at tertiary educational institutions across the country.

The agreement was signed at the UGC Auditorium in Dhaka under UN Women's Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Public Spaces, Workplaces and Tertiary Educational Settings in Bangladesh (ESGBV) project, funded by the European Union.

The partnership will also support the implementation of the 2009 High Court directives on the prevention of sexual harassment, which require educational institutions and workplaces to establish effective mechanisms to prevent and ad...