Welcome from the Executive Director

Welcome to the Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies (ICLDS) Website!

ICLDS based in Dhaka, Bangladesh was founded in 2014 as an independent, and non-political think-tank focusing on conflict analysis and resolution at the local, regional and international levels. The organization aims to be an interdisciplinary research, training and advocacy centre of excellence addressing various manifestations of conflict, including political, communal, economic and social, within a cohesive framework of security, law and development.

We aim to facilitate dialogue between individuals, groups and communities to understand conflict dynamics by engaging with relevant stakeholders in public, private and non-government organizations to formulate effective public policies, social interventions and public outreach against radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh.  We understand Bangladesh, South Asia and the wider international community faces common security threats and hope our think-tank will serve as a platform to share knowledge, experience and expertise between experts, specialists, policymakers and civil society members across countries.

Though ICLDS is a newly formed organization, it has already made a mark for itself because of its incisive research and analysis on security trends, causes and impacts. We want to serve as a bridge between not only practitioners and policymakers but also practitioners and community for greater civil society responses against radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism in society. It is with this aim in mind that the ICLDS team has participated in over 300+ talk shows and published 100+ op eds in newspapers as part of our public advocacy component.

The ICLDS team comprises of leading security experts, academics, researchers, lawyers, journalists, communication specialists, former diplomatic and civil/military officials who have come together with a vision to develop secure and peaceful societies at the local level. We believe communities and citizens play an important role in this goal and welcome you to participate in ICLDS activities through our website and social media pages. In this respect, we look forward to your participation to make this website an interactive forum of communication for our shared goals of strengthening security locally, regionally and internationally.

Thank you,
Yours truly,

Major General (Retd) Abdur Rashid,
Executive Director,
Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies