CV/Resume of AHM Bazlur Rahman

Brief Resume of AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR

AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR is Chief Executive Officer and founder Secretary of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC). BNNRC is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

AHM Bazlur Rahman has more than 20 years experience in leveraging community media and communication to create successful policy advocacy in Bangladesh in line with rural development.

Concerned with millions of people still deprived of basic needs and the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in Bangladesh, 2000 he founded Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) as a national networking body working for building a democratic society based on the principles of free flow of information, equitable & affordable access to Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) of remote & marginalized population.

BNNRC is registered with NGO Affairs Bureau and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Bangladesh and established in 2000 as per Article 19 charter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From 1998 - 2010, he headed an advocacy group on behalf of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) that pioneered the introduction of community radio in Bangladesh.

BNNRC has been undertaking pioneer approaches to integrate ICT and Community Media for Development, Knowledge Management, policy advocacy for good governance, people's right in country and global commons and poverty alleviation at the grassroots through its networking NGO/CSOs in Bangladesh.

BNNRC's outreach extends to local, national and international forums for communicating Knowledge for Development (KM4D). In this backdrop, communication is recognized as an essential human need and, therefore, as a basic human right. Our working strategies are:

1.        Communicating on the Public Sphere: The role of communication and media in exercising democratic political participation in society

2.        Communicating Knowledge: The terms and means by which knowledge generated by society is communicated, or blocked, for use by different groups.

3.        Civil Rights in Communication: The exercise of civil rights relating to the processes of communication in society &

4.        Cultural Rights in Communication: The communication of diverse cultures, cultural forms and identities at the individual and social levels.

BNNRC now strives for the following core interventions to contribute in achieving 6^th five Years Plan, UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through:

Right to Information for ensuring improved livelihood of the marginalized

ICT for Development for Bridging the Digital Divide in rural areas &

Community Radio/Community Broadcasting for amplifying voices for the voiceless

Amateur Radio for Disaster Risk Reduction

He graduated from University of Dhaka and Post graduated from Asian University in the field of Social Science (MSS) in Government & Politics.

He has worked extensively in Bangladesh and South Asia on variety of action research projects in  Development Communication, mostly focused on ICT for  Development(ICT4D), Rural Journalism, e-Parliament, Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) Community Broadcasting, Good Governance, Micro-Macro Level advocacy, Institution Building, Social Mobilization, Democracy Education, Transformation Process of International NGO to local NGO, Resource Mobilization, Communication for Development(C4D), Knowledge Management for Development (KM4D) with Bangladesh Development Society(BDS), Action Aid-Bangladesh and The Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust(Coast Trust)

He has published several articles on Community Radio and co-author of Handbook on Community Radio for Good Governance and Development, Handbook on Airwaves Advocacy in Bangladesh and Policy Advocacy Plan for Community Radio in Bangladesh.

He currently founder member of Bangladesh Working Group on UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) headed by Bangladesh Government, Community Radio Monitoring Committee of Ministry of Information, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, founder member of Bangladesh UN Internet Governance Forum-headed by Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee   for Ministry of Post and Telecommunication and Research Fellow, Center for e-Parliament Research. Contact: ceo@bnnrc.net  www.bnnrc.net