“The panel is tasked with assessing the preparations and conduct of the elections through visits to Bangladesh before and during the elections,” according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson today.

Parliamentary polls are slated to take place on 18 December, and the country’s caretaker Government had asked Mr. Ban to set up a high-level panel as part of efforts to ensure the elections are free and fair.

On Sunday the three-member panel begins its first visit to the South Asian nation, and expects to return for about a week around the time of the election, before reporting back to Mr. Ban with its key findings and recommendations.

Francesc Vendrell, the Secretary-General’s former personal representative for Afghanistan and European Union envoy to the same country, will head the panel. The other members are Bhojraj Pokharel, Nepal’s Chief Election Commissioner, and Aracelly Santana, the former deputy director of the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division.

While visiting Bangladesh earlier this month, Mr. Ban described the upcoming polls as an “historic opportunity” for the country.

“It is in the world’s – and your – best interest to see Bangladesh achieve its full potential for democratic development through free and credible elections,” he told reporters in the capital, Dhaka.

“Now is the moment to stand against polarization and violence that have characterized past elections,” the Secretary-General added.

News Tracker: past stories on this issue

UN to send electoral team to Bangladesh ahead of parliamentary polls, says Ban