Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA)

About Us

Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) is a leading think tank in South Asia for advanced research in legal and international affairs.  Following the liberation war of Bangladesh, BILIA was established on 30th June, 1972 by then Minister of Law and then Minister of Foreign Affairs along with other leading national intellectuals in the fields of Law and International Affairs with an aim to undertake and promote research in these two distinct yet interrelated fields,...

Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) is a leading think tank in South Asia for advanced research in legal and international affairs.  Following the liberation war of Bangladesh, BILIA was established on 30th June, 1972 by then Minister of Law and then Minister of Foreign Affairs along with other leading national intellectuals in the fields of Law and International Affairs with an aim to undertake and promote research in these two distinct yet interrelated fields, making it the country’s first and oldest civil society think tank. BILIA initiated the first draft of The International Crimes (Tribunals) Act in 1973 which was enacted by Parliament of Bangladesh in the same year and it also organised The Third International Criminal Law Conference from 26th-29th December 1974 as a step towards the drafting of the statute for an International Criminal Court. Over the years, BILIA has attained recognition as a centre of excellence from within and outside the country.  BILIA is a non-profit, independent and non-governmental research organisation, being run by an Executive Council comprising of eminent jurists, lawyers and diplomats. It conducts policy oriented advance research on contemporary issues pertaining to the fields of Law and International Affairs facing Bangladesh and the wider South Asian region. It is a source of independent analysis, informed dialogue, constructive debates, influential ideas and policy recommendations. Since its inception, BILIA has been working as a center for quality research, judicial training and dissemination of information through publications, symposiums, workshops and web-postings in order to invoke public debate and understanding on issues of national importance. A salient feature of BILIA is its flexibility in drawing upon scholars, jurists and experts recognized in their respective fields, who although available for a short period of time, lend high erudition and scholastic dimension through their active participation and interest. BILIA is proud to be publishing two of the most prestigious and oldest peer reviewed academic journals of the country: Bangladesh Journal of Law and Journal of International Affairs.