Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque is an economist specialising in applied international trade, development and public policy issues with extensive senior leadership and management experience. He has led and managed numerous Bangladesh-specific and multi-country (involving sub-Saharan African, South Asian, Caribbean and Pacific economies) policy research and capacity-building projects. He has edited/co-edited several books/volumes and written extensively on trade, poverty, labour market, and migration issues, on which he is widely consulted by international and regional organisations.

He is a Director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) and editor-in-chief of Policy Insights, a quarterly publication of PRI. During 2007-17, He held numerous positions at Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK, including Head of International Trade Policy, where he was responsible for the Secretariat’s analytical, policy and global advocacy work related to such trade and development issues as WTO trade negotiations, regional trading arrangements, Brexit and its implications, Aid for Trade, global value chains, effective participation of small states and least developed countries in world trade, and trade capacity building of vulnerable countries and low income developing economies.

Dr Razzaque has vast experience of working with senior government officials in many different countries. On several occasions, he made technical presentations before the G20 Development Working Group. He has also been called to provide evidence before House of Lords and House of Commons Committees of the UK Parliament. He has participated as a resource person in many workshops in different countries.

He holds a PhD from the University of Sussex and was a faculty member in the Economics Department of Dhaka University, offering courses on, amongst others, international trade and econometrics for graduate students. During 1995-97, he worked at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

• Team Leader in an International Growth Centre (IGC)-commissioned study on Sensitizing and promoting direct taxation to boost revenue and tackle inequality in Bangladesh

• Team Leader in a SSGP, Economic Relation Division, Ministry of Finance, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh-commissioned study on Upscaling the RMG Sector

• Team Leader in a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK-commissioned study on Diversifying Bangladesh's Exports to the UK

• Team Leader in a UNICEF-commissioned study on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey on behavioral aspects of the beneficiaries of Mother and Child Benefit Programme (M&CBP)

• Commissioned by the UN CDP Secretariat Razssque, M. A (2022), "What the UK's New Developing Countries Trading Scheme means for least Developed Countries including the Graduating Ones” forthcoming from UNDESA, New York

• Team Leader in a UNICEF-commissioned study on Social Protection for Tea Garden Workers

• Team Leader in a Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung (FES)-commissioned study on Bangladesh-EU Trade and Economic Partnership

• Team Leader in an international Labour Organization (ILO)-commissioned study on Universal Social Protection and National Social insurance Scheme in Bangladesh

• Consultant to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for undertaking a major publication on Textiles and Clothing in Asian Graduating LDCs: Challenges and Options-joint study by the WTO, EIF, UNCTAD, and UNDESA

• Consultant to UNDP RCC in Bangkok to prepare a major study on "LDC graduation: Trade Preference and Development Financing Implications for Asia-Pacific countries"

• Consultant to the UN Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific (UN ESCAP for contributing to its flagship publication on Least Developed Countries

• Resource person in an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project, Support to Address Outbreak of COVID-19 in South Asia (in connection to an ADR policy-based lending to Bangladesh)

• Consultant to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to prepare a paper on Covid-19 and Social Protection Policy Inputs for the 8th Five-Tear Plan of Bangladesh

• Team leader in a UNDP sponsored study in preparing a Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS), Bangladesh

• Consultant to Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) on undertaking a modelling exercise on the impact of Covid-19 on Bangladesh

• Consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) to prepare a review of the progress made by the Asia-Pacific LDCs on the Istanbul Programme of Action of LDCs for the Decade 2011-20

• Consultant to Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK to review its technical work on Commonwealth Trade Review 2021

• Consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific (UN ESCAP) to support Nepal's LDC graduation in preparing a technical paper (2019)

• Consultant to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in preparing background documents for Bangladesh's LDC graduation

• Consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific (UN ESCAP) in preparing technical study on Bhutan's LDC graduation

• Lead Consultant to Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) in Trade and investment project, generating empirical and policy studies on Bangladesh's export sector, Dhaka

• Team Leader in an International Organization for Migration (IOM)-sponsored study on Labour Market Information System, Dhaka

• Team Leader in a UNDP-commissioned study on the impact on Rohingya refugees on the host community in Bangladesh, Dhaka

• Lead consultant to DFID-Overseas Development Institute, London, for preparing a paper on Promoting Inclusive Growth through Special Economic Zones

• Lead researcher to provide technical inputs into Bangladesh-Sri Lanka bilateral trade negotiations for the Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh

• Lead researcher in modelling and forecasting revenue from trade taxes (prepared for the World Bank through Policy Research Institute)

• Consultant in an Aslan Development Bank (Manila), project for developing a macro-econometric model of Bangladesh

• Lead consultant in a Commonwealth Secretariat (London) project on the potential implications of global rice and agricultural trade liberalisation for South Asia, 2006-07

• Lead researcher in an IDRC (International Development Research Centre, Canada) research grant on poverty and intra-household distribution in Bangladesh

• Consultant in an ILO (Dhaka) project on exports and working condition in the post-MFA RMG industry of Bangladesh

• Consultant in a Commonwealth Secretariat project on comparative analysis of market access commitments between acceding countries and the original WTO members (Project Station London: June 2005)

• Team member in a study on infrastructure development and millennium development goals, jointly sponsored by UNDP (New York) and Government of Japan

• Team member in a study on civic participation in sub-national budgeting in Bangladesh, sponsored by World Bank (Washington, DC)

• Consultant in a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Dhaka) project on Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) export trade

• Team Member in an ILO study on Decent Work and Enterprise Competitiveness, 2003-2004

• Consultant in an UNCTAD (Geneva) project on WTO-related issues relevant to Bangladesh

• Lead Consultant in a project titled Commodity Prices, Aid and Debt jointly sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, London; UNCTAD, Geneva; and Agence Intergouvernmental de la Francophonie, Paris. (Project station- Commonwealth Secretariat, London, 2003)

Razzaque, M. A. (2023, forthcoming). “What the UK’s New Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) means for LDCs including the graduating ones” study prepared for the UN CDP Secretariat, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), New York.
Razzaque, M. A. (2022). Textile and Clothing in Asian Graduating LDCs: Challenges and Options. World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva.
Razzaque (2022). “Graduation from LDC status: Trade Preference and Development Financing Implications for Asia-Pacific Countries, UNDP Regional Bureau, Bangkok.
Razzaque, M.A. and Tateno, Y. (2021). “Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries: A Review of Implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action and Way Forward” UN ESCAP Working Paper Series, June 2021.
Razzaque, M. A. (ed) (2020). Navigating New Waters: Unleashing Bangladesh's Export Potential for Smooth LDC Graduation, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Razzaque (2020). “Nepal’s graduation from the least developed country group: Potential implications and issues for consideration”, Working Paper Series, Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division, WP/20/11, UN ESCAP.
Razzaque, M.A. (2020). “Graduation of Bhutan from the group of least developed countries: Potential implications and policy imperatives”, MPFD Working Paper, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
Razzaque, M. A. and Rahman, J. (2019). “Bangladesh’s Apparel Exports to the EU: Adapting to Competitiveness Challenges Following Graduation from Least Developed Country Status”, Working Paper, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, UK.
Razzaque, M. A. (2020) (ed). Navigating New Waters: Unleashing Bangladesh’s Export Potential for Smooth LDC Graduation, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, Dhaka.
Rahman, S.H., Razzaque, M. A, Rahman, J. and Shadat, W. (2020). “ Socio-Economic Impact of Covid-19 and Policy Implications for Bangladesh”, Brac Institute of Governance and Development, Dhaka.
Razzaque, M.A. (2018). “The Tipping point: Bangladesh’s Graduation from the Group of Least Developed Countries”, Harvard International Review, 39 (3).
Razzaque, M. A. (2020). “Nepal’s Graduation from LDC: Potential Implications and Issues for Consideration”, MPFD Working Paper, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok.
Razzaque, M.A., Eusuf, M.A., Uddin, M., Rahman, J., and Akib, H. (2020). Midterm Progress Review on Implementation of the National Social Security Strategy, General Economics Division, Planning Commission, Dhaka.
Razzaque, M. A., Ehsan, S. M. and Bhuiyan, I. H. (2020). “Barriers of Accessing Social Protection Programmes for the Poor and Marginalised”, Report Prepared the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), for UNDP, Dhaka.
Razzaque, M. A., Uddin, M., Ehsan, S. M. and Barua, S. (2020). “Harmonisation of Social Security Programmes: Issues and Policy Options”, Report prepared by Research and Policy Integration for Development for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dhaka.

2024

Guest Lecturer at the 150th Advanced Course on Administration and Development (ACAD) on "Bangladesh’s LDC Graduation: Process and Implications on the Economy," hosted by the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC).

Workshop Facilitator on "Current Macroeconomic Situation and Preparation for LDC Graduation," organised by Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).