BILIA has a glorious history of 50 years since its establishment. It had the privilege to witness the building and development of Bangladesh as a new nation-state.
BILIA was established as the first think tank organization of Bangladesh on 30th June 1972, following the dissolution of the Pakistan Law Institute, and started functioning with effect from 1st of July 1972. With the direct patronization of the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the then Government of Bangladesh allotted the house of late Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy for BILIA in August 1972. On 27th December of 1972, Mr. Justice Abu Syeed Chowdhury, the then President of Bangladesh, inaugurated the institution with the aim to promote studies in law and international affairs.
It is also an honor for BILIA to be situated in a place where the Constitutional Drafting Committee conducted few sessions. Besides, right after its inception in the mid-1972, BILIA decided to study international law relating to war crimes and a Study Group was constituted for this purpose with senior officials, experts and foreign participants. This Study Group had worked for more than six weeks during the period from 5th May to 6th July 1973 and the result achieved was remarkable for the history of Bangladesh itself. On the basis of their study, BILIA was able to prepare a working paper for drafting the ‘International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, which was eventually enacted by the Parliament as Act XIX of 1973.
BILIA also organized the Third International Criminal Law Conference from 26th-29th December 1974 as a step towards drafting the statute for an International Criminal Court.
BILIA has maintained liaisons with a number of institutions at home and abroad. It has worked in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNCTC, the International Law Association, UNHCR, UNCITRAL, and USAID. It has collaborated with states all around the world in terms of law and international affairs and developed a close association with them.
Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) is a leading think tank in South Asia for advanced research in legal and international affairs.
RJSC Number – 3749-B88
Call: 880-2-222240057
Fax: +880-2-58155210
Email: bilia222.info@gmail.com,
Webpage: www.biliabd.org
House No. 22, Bhasha Shoinik MA Matin Road (Road No. 7),
Dhanmondi R.A., Dhaka-1205, BANGLADESH
