Brac commemorates 2nd Death Anniversary of Sir Abed

Brac, one of the largest NGOs of the world, commemorated the second anniversary of death of its founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed on Monday. He died on this day in 2019 at a hospital in the capital.

Sir Fazle established Brac in 1972 as a small relief and rehabilitation effort carried out in a remote area of Sylhet division, reads a press release. That organisation transformed itself to one of the largest and most effective NGOs of the world through successful socio-economic programmes in many sectors carried out in the last five decades.

Brac now stands as a unique ecosystem interweaving microfinance, social enterprises, university, bank and multidimensional investments targeting the development of the poor and marginalised people. It now provides multifaceted services to over 100 million people in 12 countries of Asia and Africa, assisting them in bringing lasting changes in their lives.

About Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

Sir Fazle was born in 1936 in Bangladesh. He studied accountancy in London, qualifying as a cost management accountant in 1962. While he was working as a senior corporate executive at Pakistan Shell Oil, the 1970 cyclone and 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh dramatically changed the direction of his life.

He left his job and moved to London, where he helped initiate Action Bangladesh and HELP Bangladesh in support of the Liberation War, added the statement..

Early in 1972, after the war was over, he returned to the newly-independent Bangladesh, finding the economy in ruins. The return of 10 million refugees who had sought shelter in India during the war called for urgent relief and rehabilitation efforts. Sir Fazle established Brac to address the needs of the refugees in a remote area of north-eastern Bangladesh, guided by a desire to help people living in poverty develop their own capacity to better manage their lives.

Today Brac is one of the largest NGOs in the world, operating across 12 countries in Africa and Asia. Its primary objective is to empower people living in poverty and inequality. In 2021, for the sixth year in a row, Brac was ranked first among the world's top 500 NGOs by Geneva-based NGO Advisor; based on its impact, innovation and sustainability.

Awards and Recognition

Sir Fazle was honoured with numerous national and international awards for his achievements in leading BRAC, including the Yidan Prize for Education Development (2019), LEGO Prize (2018), World Food Prize (2015), Spanish Order of Civil Merit (2014), Inaugural WISE Prize for Education (2011), David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007), UNDP Mahbubul Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Development (2004), Olof Palme Prize (2001) and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1980).

He has also been recognised by Ashoka as one of the "global greats"; and is a founding member of its prestigious Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. He was a member of the Commission on Health Research for Development (1987-90), the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (1991-92), and the High-level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (2005-2008). In 2010, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George by the British Crown in recognition of his services to reducing poverty in Bangladesh and internationally.

Sir Fazle was a member of the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2010 to advise on support for the Least Developed Countries. In 2014 and 2017, he was named in Fortune Magazine's List of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders. Sir Fazle was honoured with a Dutch Knighthood in 2019.