Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley

Executive Chairman, Centre for Developmentsearch, Bangladesh (CDRB)

Independent, not-for-profit research, training and publication organization.

Overseas Director of American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) which CDRB represents. AIBS is an association of 18 Universities and colleges of the USA, to promote scholarly-level exchange and understanding between Bangladesh and USA especially in academic and research circles. Among the member institutions of the AIBS are : Universities of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Syracuse, Chicago, Colonell, UCLA, ----- ANM Texas, Penn State & Washington etc. The AIBS-CDRB is also a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centres (CAORC) (1989- up to date)

Chief Advisor, City University Dhaka

Editor, ASIAN AFFAIRS (organ of CDRB) a quarterly of developing societies with focus on society, politics, economy and foreign policies of developing nations

Independent Consultant on Social Development, Institutions, Information and Public Policy. Governance and Human Rights Training, Education, Public Administration, Local Govt., Rural Development and Cooperatives, Socio-economic Analysis of the processes of Women in Development (WID), Privatization of Industries and Enterprises, Development of Small scale and Cottage Industries, Environment (socio-legal and institutional aspects) and International Relations.

He is the founder-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Premier Leasing International Ltd. a non-banking financial institution, incorporated in January 2002.

Chairman, Editorial Board of Review, monthly journal of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), the largest regional chamber of commerce in Bangladesh (from 1999 up to date).

 

GENERAL PROFILE :

.Noted Social Scientist, writer, business leader and former high government official, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley has been working as a well-known international and national consultant in the fields of socio-economic development, information and public policy, training, education, institutions and public administration, for more than two decades (1980-2005).

He has a distinguished record of serving as a high level civil official, both in field and staff positions, in the Governments of Pakistan (1967 -1971) and Bangladesh (1976-1980). He served as Chief Executive and Magistrate in sub-districts, as staff in District level administration, (1968-70), Assistant Economic Adviser to Economic Coordination and External Assistance Sector in Pakistan (1970-71) and top-manager in social services field agency of the government (1976-80) in Bangladesh.

Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley also has special knowledge and expertise in the field of Education. He began his career as a successful teacher of the Dhaka University in the Department of Political Science (1964-1967). He obtained Ph. D. in International Politics from the University of London, UK (October 1972 - January 1976).

During May-December 1990 he served Bangladesh as a technocrat (non-partisan, non- political) Cabinet Minister in charge of the Ministry of Information and subsequently Ministry of Irrigation, Water Resources Development and Flood Control. As Minister for Information also served as ex-officio member of the Cabinet–Council Committee on the Chittagong Hill Tracts. (The Constitution of Bangladesh provided that one fifth of the Members of the Council of Ministers could be chosen from among non-political experts and technocrats who were not members of the National Legislature). This provision has been amended during 1991 to reduce the proportion of such technocrat members in the Cabinet to 10 (ten) per cent.

The author of a number of studies in international relations, political science, economic and social affairs and literary volumes, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley also writes regularly in English and Bengali dailies, periodicals and professional publications at home and abroad

 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND (In Chronological Order)

Dhaka University, B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science, (First in First Class) 1962 and M.A. (First in First Class) 1963; Civil Service Academy, Lahore,. Civil and Criminal Law, Development Economics and Public Administration. 1967-68; University of London, Ph. D., in International Politics (Faculty of Economics) 1976.

 

PAST POSITIONS (In Chronological Order) :

Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Dhaka University, October1964-October 1967. During this period taught (i) History of Political Thought (ii) Principles of Political Organization (iii) Modern Political Thought and (iv) Constitutions of U.S.A., erstwhile USSR, U.K. and India at post-graduate and graduate (honours) levels. Also worked as part-time Research Associate in a study of "Political Parties in Pakistan" (1947-65) funded by the Dhaka University Council on Social Science Research.

 

Part time Editor, English monthly Concept. Dhaka 1964-67. Bengali literary bi- monthly, Mousum, Dhaka, 1964-67. The Concept made its mark as a prestigious journal of contemporary ideas and issues in politics, economy, culture and international relations.

 

As an erstwhile member of the top administrative service corps (entry effected through success in anationwide competitive examination of eligible graduates) of the pre-1971 Pakistan, the Erstwhile CivilService of Pakistan (C.S.P.) - served and worked as:

 

Public Administration staff, Deputy Commissioner's Office, Dhaka District, 1968- 69.Staff, Survey and Settlement, Land Revenue Administration 1968-69. Assistant Commissioner (Sub-Divisional Officer - SDO) (Chief Executive and Magistrate) Brahmanbaria sub-division (now district) 1969-70. Special Officer, President's Secretariat, January 1970 - January 1971, Rawalpindi: Assistant Economic Advisor Economic Co-ordination and External Assistance Division, Government of Pakistan, February 1971- December 1971. Islamabad.

Worked as a research-student in international politics and obtained Ph. D. from the University of London(U.K.), October 1972 - December 1975. The subject of the Ph. D. thesis was The Emergence of Bangladeshas a Sovereign State. Director, Department of Social Welfare, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (April 1976-May 1980).

Nature of Work as Director, D. S. W. :

As Director (Head of Department) of Social Welfare of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (21 April 1976to 24 May 1980), worked to implement social welfare policies and programmes of the Government.

In the capacity of Director of Social Welfare of Bangladesh, was responsible for implementing and supervising the implementation of national social service and welfare policies and programmes of the government through a countrywide government organization consisting of 5,000 (Five thousand) officers, supervisors and other employees. This work required national - level direction and supervision of execution of Government of Bangladesh's policies and programmes relating to services to disadvantaged rural and urban poor, distressed and economically disadvantaged women, physically disabled, orphans and juvenile delinquents.

A major dimension of the work in this position was management and direction in the organization and mobilization of rural poor, landless women and youth for integrated development through the Rural SocialService and National Youth Service Projects with special emphasis on Population Activities with multi-sector dimensions. As Director DSW, helped set up the Bangladesh Jatiyo Mahila Sanghstha (National Women's Organization) a Government initiated NGO to stimulate participative socio-economic development of women in Bangladesh.

During tenure as head of the Department of Social Welfare also directed, oversaw implementation, monitored and internally evaluated such successful youth mobilization, organization and development projects, as the "National Youth Service" and "Socio-Economic Activities for the Youth" and PopulationActivities Programmes as the IDA supported "Use of Rural Social Service Mother's Clubs (Centres) forPopulation Activities" and "Population Activities for Out-of-School Youth" (PAOSY), conducted by DSW. Advisory Editor (Part-time), Dhaka Weekly News Magazine (Bengali) SACHITRA SWADESH (Homeland- illustrated), (1982-86). In this capacity advised, counseled and supervised the editing of material for this private sector, popular topical magazine (in existence since 1981) with a readership of more than 60,000 (sixty thousand) in a country where the highest circulation daily news paper has a total sale of 3,00.000.

 

Chairman, The Bangladesh Times Trust (Part time). (The Bangladesh Times was a leading English language national daily of Bangladesh owned and operated by its Board of Trustees, set up by the Government of Bangladesh). (September, 1989-2 May, 1990).

Minister, in charge of the Ministry of Information, (2 May to 25November 1990) and Ministry of Irrigation, Water Development and Flood Control (November – December 1990) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh:

Was inducted as a 'technocrat' Minister under relevant provisions of the Constitution of Bangladeshaccording to which one fifth of the Members of the Council of Ministers could be chosen from among non-partisans who were not members of the Legislature.

Work in the capacity of Minister of Information involved national policy planning and high level supervision of policy and programme implementation relating to State-owned Television and Radio and the publicly and privately owned and run print-media. The work also involved supervision of the external publicity ofBangladesh through its diplomatic missions abroad. Guidance and supervision of the work of Department of Film and Publications, Department of Mass Communications, Press Institute of Bangladesh and National Institute of Mass Communication also formed part of the job. As Minister of Irrigation, Water Development and Flood Control, worked for formulation of policies for water resources management and supervised their implementation. Assignment as Cabinet Minister ended when a change of government took place in December 1990.

 

NATURE OF WORK IN PRESENT ASSIGNMENTS :
Chairman, Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh (CDRB) 1982 upto date – CDRB is an independent, academic, non-partisan, non-commercial, research and publication organization formed by like-minded scholars, academicians and leading citizens of Bangladesh.

Work as Chairman of CDRB requires mobilization and management of resources and personnel for research, training and publication on socio-economic aspects of the problems and prospects of development in the Developing World in general and in Asian countries in particular.

 

From 1989 CDRB has also been working as the representative of the American Institute of BangladeshStudies (AIBS), an association of 18 US universities and other institutions of higher learning to promotescholarly-level exchange and understanding between the USA and Bangladesh.

Chief Advisor, City University Dhaka. Work-in this capacity involves advisory services to the University in terms of curriculum and development. Editor, Quarterly ASIAN AFFAIRS, a journal devoted to the study of politics and economics of development. This is a publication of the Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh (CDRB). The journal has been in existence since 1980 although until December 1982 up to date it used to be published under the auspices of the now-defunct “Study Group”.

Chairman, Premier Leasing International Ltd.(2002- up-to-date). Chairman, Academic Press, Publishers & Library (APPL) 1998-up to date.

SPECIAL HONOUR/AWARD :

Awarded in 1991 the highest Polish "Order of Merit" for foreign citizens, by Lech Walesa, the President of the Republic of Poland and Nobel Laureate for Peace, in recognition of services to the furthering of friendship between Polish and Bangladeshi Peoples. Awarded the Honorary International Citizenship of the City of New Orleans USA by the Mayor of the city, Mr. Marc H. Morial on 21st April, 2001. ‘The Michel Modhushudan Dutta Award 1999’ (Awarded in 2002) for contributions to Bengali literature and social service. ‘Rapport Bangladesh Award-2002’ for excellence in human resources development of Bangladesh.

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