Speaker

Ms. Syeda Rizwana Hasan

Syeda Rizwana Hasan (born January 15, 1968) is a prominent Bangladeshi lawyer, environmental activist, and current Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the interim government of Bangladesh. Renowned for her legal activism, Hasan has led landmark environmental cases, particularly against the hazardous shipbreaking industry. As Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), she has fought to uphold environmental justice and labor rights. She received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2012 for her courageous leadership in promoting the right to a healthy environment. In 2022, she was honored with the International Women of Courage Award by the U.S. Department of State. Hasan is widely recognized as one of Bangladesh’s foremost voices in environmental law and advocacy.