The United Nations has appointed Dr. Nazrul Islam, an eminent economist from Bangladesh, as Chief of Development Research. In this position, Dr. Islam will lead the preparation of UN flagship reports on global development issues and provide policy input and advice to senior management of the organization.
Dr. Nazrul earned his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and M.Sc. In economics from Moscow State University. He has taught at Dhaka University, Harvard University, Emory University, Kyushu University, and St. John’s University and joined the United Nations in 2006. Dr. Nazrul earned international reputation for his contribution to several areas of economics, including growth, transition, sustainable development, and political economy. He has published twenty books and numerous articles in reputed international journals.
Much of Dr. Nazrul’s research is focused on development issues of Bangladesh. His published works include Development Problem of Bangladesh (1987, in Bangla); Bangladesh of the Future (2012, in Bangla); Let the Delta be a Delta–The Way to Protect Rivers of Bangladesh (2016); and Governance for Development: Political and Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh (2016).
Dr. Nazrul is deeply interested and actively engaged in the protection of Bangladesh’s environment. He founded Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) in 1998 and initiated the formation of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) in 2000. Dr. Nazrul is married to Dr. Tanvira Islam, a psychiatrist, and lives in New York with his son (Rahul) and daughter (Nusaybah).
