Welcome
I am a passionate disability inclusion expert, public interest lawyer and human rights activist with more than 18-years of work experience in development and humanitarian sectors. As a man with a lived experience of multiple disability (physical and low vision, rheumatoid arthritis survivor) grown up in Bangladesh- the low-income country, I have faced and overcome discrimination of various forms on ground of disabilities. My passion for equality compelled me to enable change through youth activism and has led me to pursue a career at the intersection of disability policy, practice, research and capacity building. I am dedicated to advancing justice, inclusion, and empowerment, and to dismantling barriers to systemic oppression.
I also hold a master’s degree in law from the University of Chittagong. To strengthen my qualifications, I’ve completed a short course on social protection and the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities from the Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies, Bonn Rhein Sieg University of Applied Sciences (HBRS).
I am currently working with International Disability Alliance (IDA) as a Training Officer under Capacity Building Unit. Earlier I worked with IDA as OPD Engagement Officer under Inclusion Works Program, BlueLaw International as In-Country Coordinator of USAID’s Expanding Participation of People with Disabilities Program, Maxwell Stamp PLC as Project Manager of DFID’s Community Legal Services Project, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) as Research Specialist, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA) as Research and Advocacy Officer and National Alliance of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (NADPO) as Coordinator. I also delivered services to IMC International, Neuro Developmental Disability Protection Trust (government entity), and 20 NGOs, INGOs and OPDs (Organizations of Persons with Disabilities).
My work includes reviewing domestic laws and policies in line with international human rights instruments, promoting legislative reforms in compliance with international standards, and intervening in the policy framework through strategic litigation. I possess demonstrated expertise in CRPD-Compliant Budgeting. I have proven skills in people-centered advocacy and policy influencing. I contributed to the legal reforms in compliance with international treaty and conventions for the marginalized and socially excluded communities including persons with disabilities, women, children, Dalit, tea workers, sex workers and transgender people. I contributed to the drafting of bills including the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act 2013, Children Act 2013, Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Act, Anti-Human Trafficking Law, and Anti-Discrimination Law.
I possess demonstrated expertise in project cycle management, grantee management, inclusive budgeting, and programming. Based on my work experience I tremendously contributed to the technical paper “Applying CRPD standards to programmatic processes: A look at inclusive programming in practice (2022)” by the International Disability Alliance.
I have a proven track record of building and managing partnerships and strategic alliances with OPDs, NOGs, INGOs, donors, and UN agencies including ILO, UNICEF, UNDP, and WFP. I contributed to formation of CRPD Platform-Bangladesh comprising of leading OPDs and CSOs of Bangladesh that submits parallel reports to the UN bodies including CRPD Committee. I also contributed to form the National OPD Advisory Committee (NOAC) that intends to bring the OPD alliances under an umbrella OPD in Bangladesh.
I led the development of an Alternative Report under Article 35 of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). I participated in the 11th Pre-Sessional Working Group and 27th Session of the CRPD Committee at UN facilities, in Geneva, Switzerland in 2019 and 2022 respectively as team lead of Bangladesh Civil Society Delegation to the UN Committee on Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This representation in the review process successfully influenced the Committee to issue a significant number of recommendations for Bangladesh to implement the rights of persons with disabilities.
I have also attended the Conference of State Parties to the CRPD (COSP15 & COSP14), Global Disability Summit 2022, Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week 2023, and Busan World Disability Conference 2023 to influence the global leaders to foster discussions on disability-inclusive social protection, assistive technology, inclusive education, inclusive employment, meaningful OPD engagement and domestication of the CRPD.
I have facilitated and attended series of training sessions, conferences and workshops in Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Kenya, Nepal, Rwanda, Republic of Korea, and Switzerland, that supported more than 10000 (ten thousand) participants to build their capacities around human rights, disability rights, women’s rights, child rights, access to justice, right to information, assistive technology and many more areas of justice sector.
I am a co-author of a few books including a Lawyer’s Manual and DPO Advocacy Handbook on the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2013. I co-authored an article “Mobilizing Disabled Peoples’ Organizations to Implement Bangladesh’s Disability Law” which was published in the Oxford Journal of Human Rights Practice in January 2022. I am a contributor to the opinion editorials of national Bengali and English dailies.
My passion lies in making the world truly inclusive for all. As a change-maker in Bangladesh, I was awarded the Acumen Fellowship 2020 in appreciation of my work in the human rights field.