LocationsFrom Voices to Verdicts: How Young Changemakers Are Reimagining Justice in Bangladesh
Youth Leading the Way to a Fairer Justice System
August 6, 2025
Youth and legal experts gather at ILC 2025 in Dhaka to drive justice reform—supported by UNDP.
©UNDP Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s push for judicial reform is being shaped by the energy, ideas, and determination of its young generation. From the streets to the seminar halls, youth-led movements, galvanised by the events of July 2024, have sparked a national conversation on fairness, accountability, and the rule of law. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working alongside national partners, is supporting these emerging voices and ensuring they have a platform to influence policy, strengthen institutions, and build a justice system that serves all citizens equally.
One powerful example of this commitment was UNDP’s support, through its Student Ambassador Programme, to the LEB–BSIL International Law Conference (ILC) 2025, held on 2 August in Dhaka. Organised in partnership with Legal Empowerment Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Institute of International Law, the event brought together young scholars, early-career researchers, and legal experts.
The opening ceremony was graced by a panel of eminent dignitaries. Professor Dr. Qumrul Ahsan, Vice Chancellor of the University of Asia Pacific, was the Chief Guest while Professor Dr. M. A. Baqui Khalily, Acting Dean of the School of Law at UAP, was the special guest.
©UNDP Bangladesh
The event was further honoured by the presence of Dr. Masrur Salekin, Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka. The programme was chaired by Mr. Md. Asaduzzaman, Head of the Department of Law & Human Rights at UAP.
At the closing ceremony, Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, was the chief guest. Among others, Barrister Sara Hossain, a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, Architect Mahbuba Haque, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at UAP, Dr. Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan, Registrar General of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, were present.
Seventy-five research proposals were submitted from Bangladesh, Canada, Indonesia, and India, with twenty-one finally selected for presentation, and around 50 student volunteers contributed to organising the conference. The research papers by students and young professionals tackled pressing issues, from judicial independence and transitional justice to security sector reform, digital rights, and climate justice. Key takeaways included the need for an independent judiciary, hybrid justice approaches balancing truth-telling with prosecutions, reforms in security agencies, and constitutional recognition of environmental rights.
©UNDP Bangladesh
For UNDP, ILC 2025 was more than an academic gathering. It was proof that when youth leadership meets institutional support, lasting reform becomes possible. Bangladesh’s young generation is not just calling for a fairer justice system; they are actively shaping it.
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