Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA), a non-governmental organisation of lawyers, started its journey in 1993 as an advocacy group in the field of environment. Since then it has become an important change-maker in legal reform especially in the field of environmental justice and jurisprudence. Over the years, BELA has played a pioneering role in popularising the concept of ‘environmental justice’ in the country, developing strategies to accord legal protection to people affected by environmental degradation. The organisation has adopted various means to create awareness about environmental laws and to activate responsible agencies in performing their legal duties. It was after a BELA-initiated case in 1997 that the Supreme Court of Bangladesh recognized the concept of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that enabled millions of voice-less people to access the formal justice system through representative civil society organisations (CSOs) and individual public-interested litigants.
BELA’s work in the field of environmental justice has been acclaimed nationally and internationally. In June 2003, BELA was awarded the Global 500 Roll of Honours of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It has received the Environment Award in 2007 from the Department of Environment of the Government of Bangladesh and M. Saleem Ullah Memorial Gold Medal in 2009 as a significant recognition of its service to the people in providing effective leadership for the preservation of the environment. The Chief Executive of BELA was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009 for her outstanding contribution in protecting and conserving the environment of the country. Her name has appeared in the list of environmental heroes (2009) of the prestigious US Magazine TIME. She has also received the most prestigious award in this region, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2012.
