Center of Excellence in Higher Education
The First Private University in Bangladesh

Dr. Md. Rizwanul Islam

Full Time Faculty
Professor & Chair

Ph.D., Macquarie University, Australia
LL.M. (IP & IT Law), National University of Singapore
LL.B. (Honours), University of Dhaka

Phone: +880-2-55668200 Ext:
Email: rizwanul.islam@northsouth.edu
Office: North Academic Building 11120

Curriculum Vitae

 

Prior to joining Department of Law of North South University, Rizwan was a full-time Associate Professor at School of Law of BRAC University. Before that, he was a full-time Assistant Professor at School of Law of BRAC University, Lecturer at Faculty of Law, Northern University Bangladesh and a casual Lecturer at Department of Business Law, Macquarie University. He was a recipient of the Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship. Rizwan twice received the Macquarie University Faculty of Arts Higher Degree Research Award for Best Candidate Publications. He had worked as a research assistant in two research projects funded by Macquarie University research grants. He has more than 35 books, monograph, journal article or book chapters published in reputed outlets such as Brill, Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, Kluwer, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Springer. Rizwan also regularly writes columns on a wide range of national and international legal and non-legal issues for widely-circulated national and international newspapers such as the Diplomat, Straits Times, Bangkok Post, Business Times, New Straits Times, Economic Times and Daily Star. Rizwan had acted as a Consultant and Fellow in projects funded by the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. He had also been commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh for writing a research report. He was awarded President’s Gold Medal for his paper titled ‘Judges as Legislators: Benevolent Exercise of Powers by the Higher Judiciary in Bangladesh with not so Benevolent Consequences)’ as the Best Research Article in the subject category of Arts, Humanities, Education, and Law of the year 2016. Rizwan received Research Award 2021 by Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, North South University for outstanding performance in research during 2018-2020. In March 2021, he had been elected as a Co-Chair of the Teaching International Law Interest Group of the American Society of International Law. 

Books

  • Bangladesh Style of Citation of Legal Authorities (Daily Star Books, 2018) (with Nauriin Ahmed and K. Shamsuddin Mahmood) pp. 180
  • Economic Integration in South Asia: Charting a Legal Roadmap (Leiden; Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2012), pp. xxx+336

 

Monograph

‘Bangladesh’ in International Encyclopaedia of Laws: Intellectual Property, edited by Hendrik Vanhees, Alphen aan den Rijn, NL: Kluwer Law International

 Book Chapters

  • ‘Reasonableness as Proportionality: More Intrusive Scrutiny in Civil-Political Matters than Socio-Economic Ones?’ in Po Jen Yap (ed) Proportionality in Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2020) 217-241 (invited contribution)
  • 'Dissecting Quasi-Legislative Judicial Directives of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh' in Po Jen Yap (ed) Constitutional Remedies in Asia (Routledge, 2019) 138-154 (invited contribution)
  • ‘Promoting Intra-regional Trade in South Asia through Trade Facilitation Measures under the Auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’ in Jiaxiang Hu & Matthias Vanhullebusch, (eds), Regional Cooperation and Free Trade Agreements in Asia (Leiden/Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2014) 270-300 (invited contribution) 
  • ‘Barriers to Trade in Goods and Services’ in Indira Karr, Shawkat Alam, and Md. Jahid Hossain Bhuiyan (eds), International Trade Law and the WTO (Sydney: Federation Press, 2013) 147-165 (with Shawkat Alam)

Journal Articles

  • 'Repatriation of the Rohingya through an ICJ Verdict: Utopia or an Equitable Amelioration?' (2023) 44(1) Michigan Journal of International Law (forthcoming) (with Naimul Muquim)
  • 'The Co-operative Societies Law in Bangladesh: From Hope of Autonomy to Dependence', (2022) 33 Dhaka University Law Journal (forthcoming) (with Nafiz Ahmed)
  • ‘The Murky State Practice on Recognition of Governments and the National Unity Government in Myanmar’ (2022) 44 Houston Journal of International Law (forthcoming)
  • ‘Bangladesh Bhutan PTA: Less is More?’, (2021) 18(1) South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business Article 7.
    <https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/scjilb/vol18/iss1/7    >
  • 'Overhaul of the SDT Provisions in the WTO: Separating the Eligible from the Ineligible', (2021) 34(1) Pace International Law Review 1-24 <https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pilr/vol34/iss1/1>
  • 'Promptly Notifying Infectious Diseases Likely to Cause Pandemics: Individual State Responsibility, Shared Collective Burden', (2021) 56(1) Texas International Law Journal 35-57
  • 'Where Are the LDC and Small Developing State Complainants in the WTO DSB?', (2020) 52(2) George Washington International Law Review 219-251 (with Farhaan Uddin Ahmed) 
  • ‘The Gambia v Myanmar at the ICJ: Good Samaritans Testing State Responsibility for Atrocities on the Rohingya’, 51(1) California Western International Law Journal (2020) 77-131 <https://scholarlycommons.law.cwsl.edu/cwilj/vol51/iss1/4/> (with Naimul Muquim)
  • 'The Case of Palestine against the USA at the ICJ: A Non-Starter or Precedent-Setter?’ (2019) 48 (1) Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law 1-27<https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/gjicl/vol48/iss1/2/>
  • ‘Sifting through the Maze of ‘Person Aggrieved’ in Constitutional Public Interest Litigation: Has Abu Saeed Case Ushered a New Dawn?’ (2017) 28 Dhaka University Law Journal (Dhaka University Studies Part-F) 155-168 (with Md. Tayeb-Ul-Islam Showrov)
  • ‘Judges as Legislators: Benevolent Exercise of Powers by the Higher Judiciary in Bangladesh with Not So Benevolent Consequences’ (2016) 16 (2) Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 219-234
  • ‘The Scope for Trade Restrictions to Address the Lack of Compliance with Fire Safety Standards in Garment Factories of Bangladesh’ (2015) 49(1) Journal of World Trade 153-172 (with Naimul Muquim)
  • 'The Australia India Proposed Free Trade Agreement and Trade in Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges', (2013) 14(1) Journal of World Investment and Trade 167-197 (with Shawkat Alam and Pundarik Mukhopadhya)
  • 'The Application of the Law of Criminal Defamation to Inflammatory Comments Made on Social Networking Sites: A New Role for an Old Law?' (2012) 36(1) Criminal Law Journal 38-49 (With Niloufer Selvadurai)
  • 'An Appraisal of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement and Its Consistency with the WTO Rules on Preferential Trade Agreements' (2010) 44(6) Journal of World Trade 1187-1206
  • 'A Diagnosis of the Crawling Trade Liberalisation under the Auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation' (2010) 11(2) Journal of World Investment & Trade 293-308
  • 'The Proposed Australia-China FTA: Protectionism over Complementarity?' (2010) 37 (3) Legal Issues of Economic Integration 203-219 (with M. Rafiqul Islam)
  • 'Constraints of the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area and SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services Militating against Sub-regional Trade Proliferation in South Asia' (2010) 7(1) Brigham Young University International Law & Management Review 1-35 <https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/ilmr/vol7/iss1/2>
  • 'The Expanding Ambit of Telecommunications Interception and Access Laws: The Need to Safeguard Privacy Interests' (2010) 15(3) Media and Arts Law Review 378-390 (with Niloufer Selvadurai)
  • 'The Reproduction and Communication of Internet Materials by Educational Institutions: The Need for Clarity and Certainty' (2010) 21(1) Australian Intellectual Property Journal 31-41 (with Niloufer Selvadurai)
  • 'Identity Theft: Aligning Law and Evolving Technologies' (2010) 34(1) Criminal Law Journal 33-47 (with Niloufer Selvadurai and Peter Gillies)
  • 'Is the Doomsday of International Law Looming around in the Twenty First Century?: A Response to the Sceptics of Efficacy of International Law' (2009) 78(3) Nordic Journal of International Law 293-308
  • 'The Global Food Crisis and Lacklustre Agricultural Trade Liberalisation: Demystifying their Nexus Underpinning Reform' (2009) 10(5) Journal of World Investment & Trade 679-697 (with M. Rafiqul Islam)
  • 'Unauthorised Access to Wireless Local Area Networks: The Limitations of the Present Australian Laws' (2009) 25(6) Computer Law & Security Review 536-542 (with Niloufer Selvadurai and Peter Gillies)
  • 'Should Singapore Follow the EU in Creating Sui Generis Protection for Databases?' (2009) 4(9) Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice 665-672
  • 'South Asian Free Trade Agreement and the Possibility of Regional Integration within the SAARC: A Historical, Legal and Economic Analysis’, Asian Journal of Comparative Law: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 7
    available at <http://www.bepress.com/asjcl/vol2/iss1/art7>, 1-21 (with Michael Ewing-Chow)
  • 'Ship Arrest Conventions of 1952 and 1999: Disappointments for Maritime Claimants', (2007) 38 (1) Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce 75-81

Brief Articles in Online Journals 

Encyclopedia Entries

  • Bangladesh and Its Preferential Trade Agreements, in Muhammad Ekramul Haque (ed), ‘Bangladesh’, in Seokwoo Lee, (ed), Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia [EPILA], (Brill, 2020) Volume 1 (ISBN: 978-90-04-38877-2) 
  • Tariff Barriers in Bangladesh, in Muhammad Ekramul Haque (ed), ‘Bangladesh’, in Seokwoo Lee, (ed), Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia [EPILA], (Brill, 2020) Volume 1 (ISBN: 978-90-04-38877-2)
  • Non-Tariff Barriers and Trade Remedies in Bangladesh, in Muhammad Ekramul Haque (ed), ‘Bangladesh’, in Seokwoo Lee, (ed), Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia [EPILA], (Brill, 2020) Volume 1 (ISBN: 978-90-04-38877-2) 
  • Bangladesh – Its Foreign Exchange Regulation, in Muhammad Ekramul Haque (ed), ‘Bangladesh’, in Seokwoo Lee, (ed), Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia [EPILA], (Brill, 2020) Volume 1 (ISBN: 978-90-04-38877-2)
  • Administrative and Judicial Bodies for Settlement of International Commercial Disputes in Bangladesh, in Muhammad Ekramul Haque (ed), ‘Bangladesh’, in Seokwoo Lee, (ed), Encyclopedia of Public International Law in Asia [EPILA], (Brill, 2020) Volume 1 (ISBN: 978-90-04-38877-2)

Oxford ILDC Headnotes

Oxford International Organizations Database

Book Reviews

  • Review of Sustainable Development and Free Trade: Institutional Approaches by Shawkat Alam (2009) 9(2) International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 191-194 
  • Review of Protection of Regulatory Data under Article 39.3 of TRIPs: The Indian Context by Shamnad Basheer (2008) 3(2) Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice 140-141

Magazine Article

Academic Blog Posts

  • ‘Creeping Private Interest in the WHO Undermining its Role as an International Inter-governmental Organization’, Cambridge Journal of International Law Blog, 10 March 2021 <http://cilj.co.uk/2021/03/10/creeping-private-interest-in-the-who-undermining-its-role-as-an-international-inter-governmental-organization/> accessed 10 March 2021
  • ‘Introduction to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Symposium’, Afronomicslaw, 8 February 2021 <https://www.afronomicslaw.org/category/analysis/introduction-regional-comprehensive-economic-partnership-rcep-symposium> accessed 8 February 2021
  • ‘Teaching and Researching International Law by Resource-Constrained Academics’, as part of Symposium: Teaching and Researching International Law – Global Perspectives jointly organised by National University of Singapore Centre for International Law and AfronomicsLaw, 21 September 2020 <https://www.afronomicslaw.org/2020/09/21/teaching-and-researching-international-law-by-resource-constrained-academics/>

    Lectures/Presentations

    • The Humane yet Ambivalent Attitude Towards Refugees: A Potential Threat to Peace, paper presented as part of the panel ‘Local Peacebuilding or Indigenous Peacemaking’ at the Hiroshima International Conference on Peace & Sustainability, Hiroshima, Japan, 1 March 2022 (presented virtually)

    • Dealing with the Craving for Micro-reading, paper presented at the 13th Asian Education Conference (ACE 2021), organised by the International Academic Forum, Japan, 27 November 2021 (presented virtually)

    • Guest Lecture on Incidental Proceedings: Provisional Measures and Interventions at the ICJ as part of the 2nd Intensive Online Course on the ICJ organised by South Asian Institute for Social Transformation, 26 November 2021 (delivered virtually)

    • Panel Discussion on New Era for Legal Researchers: Prospects and Challenges for Legal Researchers at the NILS Bangladesh Research Festival 2021, 24 October 2021 (presented virtually)
    • Testing the Case of Rohingya Repatriation via a Judgment of the International Court of Justice, Research Talk at the Center for Peace Studies, North South University, 16 September 2021 (presented virtually)
    • Taking Special & Differential Treatment beyond the Realm of Hortatory, presented at the 7th Biennial Society of International Economic Law Milan Global Conference 2021, 9 July 2021 (presented virtually)
    • Presiding Panellist at the virtual Symposium on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis & National and International Challenges, organised by Dhaka University Law Politics Review, 20 June 2021
    • Key Note Paper at the Seminar on ‘Procholito Somobay Ainer Sangskar Ebong Doridra O Prantik Krishoker Odhikar (Reform of the Existing Cooperative Society Laws and Rights of Poor and Marginalised Farmers’ (in Bengali), organised by Association for Land Reform and Development, held at Abdus Salam Hall, National Press Club, Dhaka, 29 December 2019
    • Proportionality in Bangladesh, invited speaker at Proportionality in Asia Conference held at Cheng Yu Tung Tower at the Centre for Comparative and Public Law at The Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, 10 December 2018
    • Legal Research Methodology, invited lecture at S. M. Nousher Ali Lecture Gallery, East West University, Dhaka, 24 October 2018
    • Jurisdiction before Submission: Necessity to Understand the Jurisdiction and Procedure of the International Court of Justice, invited lecture at the Worksop titled Orchestrating the Future, Analyzing the Past, organised by Jessup Bangladesh with the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training and Independent University Bangladesh, held at Independent University Bangladesh, 26 September 2018
    • A Stock Taking of Policy-Oriented Legal Projects on Gender Issues in Bangladesh since 2000: Some Pressing Issues, Invited lecture for Gender in Law Course’s undergraduate students of Department of Women and Gender Studies, Dhaka University, 11 September 2018
    • Ethical Issues in Legal Research, Invited Lecture at the Workshop on Research and Legal Writing, Organized by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) at BILIA Auditorium, Dhaka, 12 May 2018
    • Picking Low Hanging Fruits for Writing Law Journal Articles, Invited Lecture at the Workshop on Research and Legal Writing, Organized by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) at BILIA Auditorium, Dhaka, 10 May 2018
    • Faculty Research and Extension: Indexing Journal, invited lecture at Institutional Quality Assurance Cell Workshop, Department of Law, Daffodil International University, 5 April 2018
    • Legal Research and Writing, invited lecture for LL.M. students of International Law on Refugees, Migrants and Stateless Persons (Law 508) at Faculty of Law, Dhaka University, 31 May 2017
    • Writing a PhD Research Proposal and Applying for Research Grants, invited Lecture at Institutional Quality Assurance Cell, Department of Law, North South University, 2 March 2017
    • Law Journal Articles: How to Write and Where to Publish, invited lecture at Institutional Quality Assurance Cell, Department of Law, North South University, 2 March 2017
    • Literature Review and Reference Styles in Legal Research, invited lecture at Department of Law and Human Rights, University of Asia Pacific, 3 November 2016
    • The Perils of Plagiarism and Needs for Adequate Attribution in Legal Research Works, Invited Lecture at the Introductory Workshop on Legal Writing and Research Methodology, Jointly Organized by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) and School of Law, BRAC University, at BILIA Auditorium, Dhaka, 9 May 2015
    • Originality in Legal Research, Common Errors in Writing Research Papers, and the Issues of Ethics and Plagiarism, Invited lecture at the Legal Research Workshop for LL.M. Students, Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka, 3 September 2013
    • Limits of the Dispute Settlement Procedure in the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area, paper presented at the Law and Social Reality, Sydney Law School Postgraduate Conference 2010, Sydney University, 29 October 2010
    • Is there a Persuasive Case for the Proposed Australia China Free Trade Agreement?, paper presented at the 8th Australian Society of Heterodox Economists Conference, Cooge Bay Hotel, Sydney, 7-8 December 2009
    • Disciplining the Execution of PTAs through Textual Amendments of the GATT, paper presented at the Australia New Zealand Society of International Law Postgraduate Workshop, Victoria University of Wellington Law School, New Zealand, 1 July 2009

Newspaper Essays

  • Awarded North South University Conference Travel and Research Grant (CTRG) 2021-2022, grant amount: 540,000 Bangladeshi Taka
  • Awarded Best Researcher 2021 by Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, North South University for outstanding performance in research
  • Awarded University Grants Commission of Bangladesh Gold Medal 2016 in Arts & Humanities, Law & Education Section in recognition of the paper entitled ‘Judges as Legislators: Benevolent Exercise of Powers by the Higher Judiciary in Bangladesh with not so Benevolent Consequences’
  • Successfully bid for a grant of US$ 23,722 for a project on ‘Mapping of Knowledge on Projects Undertaken on Justice Sector Facility Development and Human Rights in Bangladesh’ (worked as the Focal Person and Research Fellow of the project (1 October 2014 – 31 July 2015)
  • Awarded the Macquarie University Faculty of Arts Higher Degree Research Award 2010 for Best Candidate Publications
  • Awarded the Macquarie University Faculty of Arts Higher Degree Research Award 2009 for Best Publication 2007-2009
  • A recipient of Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship for pursuing doctoral studies
  • Received Macquarie University Faculty of Arts HDR funding of a sum of AU $2,196 for travelling to Wellington to present a paper

Ph.D., Macquarie University; LL.M.(IP & IT Law), National University of Singapore; LL.B. (Honours), University of Dhaka

  • Professor, Department of Law, North South University, Bangladesh October 2020-current
  • Associate Professor, Department of Law, North South University, Bangladesh , September 2017- September 2020

Teaching Areas: Introduction to the Legal System and Legal Process, Public International Law, Assigned Research Project, Law of Public Demands & Loans Recovery, WTO Law & Policy, and Business Law and Ethics

  • Associate Professor, School of Law, BRAC University, Bangladesh

October 2015- September 2017

Teaching areas: Company Law, Public International Law, Legal Research and Methodology, Money Loan Court Act, and Law of Foreign Investment

  • Part-time Lecturing at Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh

March-April 2017 and September-October 2017

Teaching area: Business and Commercial Law

  • Assistant Professor (tenured), School of Law, BRAC University, Bangladesh

August 2011- September 2015

Teaching areas: Company Law, Legal Research and Methodology, Money Loan Court Act, and Law of Foreign Investment

  • Casual Lecturer, Department of Business Law, Macquarie University, Australia

February 2010 - December 2010

Responsibilities: Lecturing and administration of an undergraduate course entitled Marketing and Management Law (BUSL 350)

  • Casual Tutor, Department of Business Law, Macquarie University

Australia, August 2010 - December 2010

Responsibilities: Tutoring and administration of an undergraduate course entitled Marketing and Management Law (BUSL 350)

  • Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Northern University Bangladesh

June 2006 - February 2011, (been on study leave from May 2007 to February 2011)

Teaching areas: Public International Law and International Trade Law

  • Senior Research Assistant, under the supervision of Dr. Shawkat Alam, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University

October 2009 - December 2010

Responsibilities: Assisting in research, publication of articles, and preparation for a research grant application

  • Research Officer, under the supervision of Dr. Niloufer Selvadurai, Senior Lecturer, Department of Business Law, Macquarie University

October 2007 - September 2009

Responsibilities: Conducting research and writing articles for publication in academic journals

  • Assignment Marker, Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University

Second Semesters of 2008 and 2010

Responsibilities: Marking International Trade Law Course Papers

  • Research Assistant of Mr. Michael Ewing-Chow, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore

January - May 2006

Responsibilities: Assisting in research and publication of articles

Commissioned for writing a Study Report on Regulating the Unregulated Domestic Works by Children, May 2014 – June 2014

Land tenure expert (part time) in BRAC Development Institute for a project funded by World Bank on ‘Implementation of Land Governance Assessment Framework in Bangladesh’, March 2013 - March 2014

 

WTO Law and Policy

Public International Law

Independent Research Project

Public Demands Recovery, Loan Recovery and Ethics

Assigned Research Project

Business Law and Ethics

 

  • Member, Center for Peace Studies of South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance, North South University, June 2021- current
  • Co-Chair, Teaching International Law Interest Group, American Society of International Law, March 2021 - current
  • Chairperson, Department of Law, North South University, January 2021 – current
  • Member, North South University Institutional Review Board/Ethics Review Committee, March 2019 – current
  • Member, North South University Scientific Review Committee of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, January 2019 – current
  • Qualified to practice as a lawyer in Bangladesh since 29 October 2005
  • Member: American Society of International Law, European Society of of International Law, Society of International Economic Law, International Studies Association

World Trade Law

Public International Law

Legal System of Bangladesh

Legal Education