Syeda Rizwana Hasan (born 15 January 1968) is a Bangladeshi attorney and environmentalist. She has particularly focused on regulations for the

shipbreaking Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction ...

industry in Bangladesh, and was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009. She was also awarded the

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealis ...

in 2012 for her "uncompromising courage and impassioned leadership in a campaign of judicial activism in Bangladesh that affirms the people's right to a good environment as nothing less than their right to dignity and life."

Early life and education

Syeda Rizwana Hasan was born on 15 January 1968, into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds in Habiganj District,

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

). She attended

Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Viqarunnisa Noon School and College ( bn, ভিকারুননিসা নূন স্কুল এন্ড কলেজ), also known as VNSC, is an all-girls higher secondary school and college in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has 25,000 students ...

for her secondary education and Holy Cross College for her higher secondary education, before attending

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

for her bachelor's and master's degree in law.

Career

Hasan got involved in the

industry, first suing the breaking yards in

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

in 2003 for, among other reasons, bringing health hazards to the workers, poor working conditions, and improper waste disposal. In response, in March 2003 the court declared shipbreaking without an environmental clearance from the appropriate department illegal. Hasan continues to strive for more labour rights and a safer working environment in the industry. She has also successfully sued organizations involved in filling lakes to build real estate, the improper use of

polythene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bott ...

, hill cutting,

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

, shrimp farming, and building illegal establishments on St. Martin's Island.

Awards

Under Hasan's leadership, BELA won the

Global 500 Roll of Honor The Global 500 Roll of Honour was an award given from 1987 to 2003 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The award recognized the environmental achievements of individuals and organizations around the world. A successor system of UNEP ...

in 2003 by the United Nations Environment Program. She herself won: *The Inaugural ''Environment Award'' in 2007, by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment,

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

, for raising environmental awareness. *''Celebrating Womenhood Award'' in 2008 by the

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

-based ''Creative Statements and South Asia Partnership'' *The '' Goldman Environmental Prize'' in 2009. *The ''

'' in 2012 She has also been dubbed as a Hero of Environment by the American news magazine ''TIME''. In 2022, Hasan received the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

from the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Personal life

Hasan was born in Habiganj to the parents

Syed Mahibul Hasan Syed Mahibul Hasan ( bn, সৈয়দ মহিবুল হাসান) was a Bangladeshi politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from the former Sylhet-16 constituency and later joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, serving as a ...

and Suraiya Hasan. She married her classmate lawyer-entrepreneur Abu Bakar Siddique, and has a daughter, Nehla Siddique and two sons, Ahmed Zarir Siddique and Ahmed Zeedan Siddique. In April 2014, her husband Siddique, Managing Director of a garment factory owned by

Nasrul Hamid Bipu Nasrul Hamid (Rakesh Chandra Rai as born 13 November 1964) is an Awami League politician and the State Minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources of Bangladesh. Early life and education Hamid was born on 13 November 196 ...

, was briefly abducted by unknown individuals.

Selected works

* ''Laws & decision on compensation in Bangladesh'', 2001 * ''Judicial decisions on environment in South Asia : up to 2000'', 2005 * ''Judicial decisions on environment in South Asia, 2001-2004'', 2006 * ''Supreme Court on wetland conservation'', 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasan, Rizvana 1968 births Living people People from Dhaka People from Habiganj District Bangladeshi environmentalists Bangladeshi non-fiction writers Bangladeshi women writers Non-fiction environmental writers University of Dhaka alumni 20th-century Bangladeshi lawyers 21st-century Bangladeshi lawyers Holy Cross College, Dhaka alumni Goldman Environmental Prize awardees Bangladeshi people of Arab descent Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Bangladeshi women lawyers