Linked with Rahela Khatun – Bangladesh, and with the Noai Landless Women Organization.
BELA is mentionned on these links:
On The Japan Environmental Education Forum / Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association BELA; on Green Cities; on friends of the earth bangladesh-groups; on e-law partners in Asia; on and Child Rights Information Network. And later on their own new website, now under construction.
The Worldwide movement for the conservation of environment quite justifiably hit Bangladesh, a country of extreme poverty, where natural environment was facing continuous degradation for a number of reasons. Attraction of sophisticated and high yielding technologies has over powered rationality in many instances, as consciousness for environment was yet to develop amongst governmental organizations and citizens group. When realities primarily forced by demand of increasing population, and natural disasters started taking tolls on human lives and livelihood, the consciousness began to change from status quo.
Contact: Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association BELA,
House No. 9, Road No. 8 Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh, Phone: 880-2-8614283, 8618706 Fax: 880-2-8612957, write.
Like all other nations of the world, Bangladesh also acted to the global call for the protection and conservation of natural environment and ecology. The people of Bangladesh who could not afford to introduce modern technological benefits in many respects responded to the need with limited resources and their own environment friendly indigenous wisdom. The private sector promptly acted to protect environment. Here the rise in awareness and pragmatic programmes led to the development of divergent perception with regard to the issues in environmental sector. Various social organizations came up with different activity package aiming to the protection and conservation of environment. as such from a social perspectives it took some time to appreciate the need for a number of factors. However, while a few of the efforts of these social advocacy groups were successful, the others were rendered ineffective due to indiscriminate violation of environmental regulations.
The objective of BELA is to ensure a sound environmental and ecological order for all using legal mechanism as a tool. In pursuance of this broad objective, the organization has set forth in specific terms, amongst others, the following objectives:
- i. To study policies, strategies, laws, bye-laws, case laws, institutions and traditional norms having direct or indirect bearing on environment and ecology and to develop an appropriate environmental jurisprudence.
- ii. To survey and examine legal, quasi-legal and non-legal issues and aspect of environment and ecology, and to formulate necessary policy, legal and institutional recommendations.
- iii. To conduct research on regulatory regimes governing natural and environmental resources, and to develop and undertake implementation of model regulatory framework on resource, environmental and ecological sustainable management.
- iv. To organize and undertake legal or administrative actions and measures to protect preserve, conserve or reinstate environmental and ecological systems, either independently or with and/or for appropriate public and private parties.
- v. To organize legal measures to protect environmentally sensitive and fragile eco-systems including protection of vulnerable groups, biological diversity, natural and cultural heritage and values, and to analyze or take measures on environmental or ecological issues regarding development activities.
- vi. To provide legal assistance and services to government, non-government, institutional, local, traditional or other professional groups to enhance and support their efforts and endeavors to protect the environment and ecology, and to support individuals to obtain remedies or damages for injuries caused by environmental or ecological degradation, or to have access to resource and its enjoyment.
- vii. To promote environmental awareness and to disseminate knowledge and information gathered especially publicize substantive and procedural laws on environment and ecology.
- viii. to render formal, informal, structural and non-structural legal training and assistance to various groups and at various levels, and to organize appropriate courses, and to assist other institutions to develop academic and training curricula the subject.
- ix. To provide and extend expert and professional services to address local, regional and global environmental and ecological issues and to assist the Government in implementing various international principles and conventional framework.
- x. To conduct legal and institutional studies for enabling the country to effectively utilize its existing resources and develop strategies and progressive concepts appropriate to national and regional needs.
Read all the rest on Japan Environmental Education Forum / Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association BELA.