Brac number one NGO in the world for 5th consecutive year

Bangladesh based non-government organisation Brac has been ranked the world's number-one NGO of 2020 by NGO Advisor, a Geneva-based independent media organisation.

Brac received this recognition for the fifth consecutive year due to its robust leadership, governance policy, and continued commitment to systemic change, said a press release on Friday.

"We are deeply grateful and humble to receive this accolade. 2020 will be the first year for Brac family without our founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, said Ameerah Haq, chairperson at the Brac global board.

"We take this recognition as a reminder to be worthy of his legacy and uphold the fight for a world free from all forms of discriminations."

After nearly five decades of experience in Bangladesh and beyond, Brac recently announced a new 2030 strategy that prioritises scaling up its global reach, targeting participants with multiple interventions, developing collaboration and knowledge-sharing leadership in the development sector. In 2019, it formed a new global board to lead and implement this strategy, the press release read.

"In the global strategy, Sir Fazle set an audacious goal for us, empowering at least 250 million people to have control over their own livelihoods by 2030. We'll keep striving to make his vision true," Ameerah Haq added.

Jean-Christophe Nothias, editor-in-chief and chief executive office of NGO Advisor, cited Brac's renewed commitment to innovation and impact, and its advanced preparations to transition leadership and governance responsibilities to the next generation of leaders as key factors that contributed to the number one ranking.

"Sir Fazle was a man of outstanding stature and humanity and he was at the forefront of changes we are still aiming for. We have reason to believe that Brac is on its way to pay a sustainable tribute to its founder by keeping its leading, driving role in the social profit sector," said Jean-Christophe.

NGO Advisor publishes rankings for the top 500 global NGOs each year, drawing upon publicly-available data and focusing on impact, innovation, governance, and sustainability as key factors informing the rankings.