Mohammad Golam Sarwar is a doctoral researcher at SOAS University of London.
Latest by this author
From the sacred peaks of Aotearoa to the rivers of Colombia and the contested waters of Lake Erie, a global movement is emerging to grant the natural world legal personhood, driven by Indigenous worldviews and a growing call for environmental justice.
By Dana Zartner, Fabian Cardenas and Mohammad Golam Sarwar in Environment | Island Press and Earth Food Life Project | English
Mohammad Golam Sarwar is a doctoral researcher at SOAS University of London. He has more than seven years experience of teaching and researching environmental law and climate change issues. He has served in different UN agencies, government ministries, and international organizations as a legal consultant, drafting research papers, policy papers, and legal opinion on pressing legal, human rights, and environmental issues.
Sarwar has published more than 20 research articles in peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include climate litigation, law and development, and business and human rights.
External
A Critical Appraisal
Dhaka University Law Journal | 2022
The aim of this paper is to analyse the trends of judiciary towards the development of Muslim family law in Bangladesh particularly in the areas of restitution of conjugal rights and maintenance. While analysing the trends, the paper underscores the role and significance of judicial activism in developing new principles considering the changes in society.
The paper highlights the progressive interpretations and approaches of the judiciary that not only uphold the constitutional principle of equality and non-discrimination but also contribute to uplift the position of women in society.
The paper also indicates a static and conservative approach of the judiciary in a few cases that could have been dealt with more positively. The paper suggests developing a consistent and coherent pattern of judicial activism in order to make Muslim family law pragmatic and effective.Publications by this author
Legal Strategies for Environmental Justice
Co-authors: Dana Zartner and Fabian Cardenas | Island Press | March | 2025
Rights of Nature laws are becoming a vital tool for addressing environmental injustice. From New Zealand and India to Ecuador and Bolivia, advocates have successfully secured legal rights for rivers, forests, and mountains. Granting rights to nature has the potential to expand environmental protections, strengthen indigenous rights, promote sustainable development, and alter how humans relate to nature. Despite these promises, rights of Nature laws have met with greater resistance in some countries than in others.
Standing for Nature offers advocates a blueprint for creating, implementing, and safeguarding rights of Nature laws. This book looks closely at four examples—New Zealand, Colombia, Bangladesh, and the United States—to explain why these laws have been successful in some places but not others. Through this comparative exploration, the authors highlight key strategies for advancing rights of Nature laws in the United States and around the world. These lessons include an examination of different legal traditions to better understand which is the best form of law—judicial, legislative, or regulatory—for advocates to target; how to ensure effective implementation once a law is passed; and how to shift communal perspectives on the human-Nature relationship for better implementation and enforcement.
This book is essential for environmental lawyers, policy makers, and advocates interested in gaining new knowledge and tools for championing rights of Nature laws in their own communities.Progression and Transformation at its 50th Anniversary
Springer | July | 2023
The emergence of Bangladesh as a People’s Republic underscores its secular character. Secularism, along with nationalism, democracy, and socialism, was given the status of high ideals of the Constitution and was adopted as one of the fundamental principles of state policy. However, the biography of secularism has witnessed a troubled journey over the years.
Sarwar’s chapter “Secularism as a State Policy, State Religion, and Minority Rights in the Constitution: Benign or Malign for Communal Harmony in Bangladesh?” traces the difficult journey of secularism starting from its original position in the first constitution to the present day. The removal of secularism from the constitution and the insertion of religious expressions, along with the declaration of state religion, has arguably destroyed the secular fabric of the constitution.
Media by this author
Interview | October | 2022
Abunx presents Barrister Rabiya Jahan Firoz and Mr. Mohammad Golam Sarwar. These two young talented professionals talk about their career journey. They also share interesting perspectives and powerful insights related to their academic and professional legal backgrounds.
Feature | October | 2021
[Delivered in Bengali] National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Bangladesh, has a crucial role in promoting and protecting the human rights of the people.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) held an online discussion on “Ensuring Government’s Human Rights Accountability: Is the NHRC fulfilling its Mandate?” to explore whether the NHRC was playing its due role in fulfilling its mandate to its full potential.
During the virtual discussion, the panelists shed light on several important aspects of the NHRC's performance in recent years.
Considering its importance and the lack of appropriate reflections in current Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and International Investment Agreements (IIAs), and the approach of judicial bodies both at national and international levels, this paper examines the scope of climate change mitigation before the ISDS Tribunals through the lens of investment protection standards available in current international investment law regime.
This paper also examines how far the approach of current ISDS Tribunals can contribute to addressing the matter for future climate change mitigation claims. It highlights the controversy surrounding the interrelation between FDI and alleged breach of environmental pollution or climate change concerns and the challenges the ISDS Tribunals face in addressing the issue.