PM so far receives 36 int’l accolades

1845

By Sajjad Hossain Sabuj

DHAKA, March 10, 2019 (BSS) – The total number of international accolades
conferred on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has increased to 36 as she won the
“Lifetime Contribution for Women Empowerment Award” on the occasion of this
year’s International Women’s Day.

On behalf of the premier, Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Imtiaz Ahmed
received the award given by the Institute of South Asian Women in Berlin on
March 7.

Sheikh Hasina won the award for her outstanding contributions to the field
of women empowerment as well as her dynamic leadership in South Asian region.

Earlier, different reputed universities and institutions across the world
conferred various degrees upon the premier for playing an important role in
peace-building, upholding democracy and socioeconomic development.

Sheikh Hasina was also honoured with awards for her outstanding
contributions to social work, peace and stability.

The premier received two international awards — the IPS International
Achievement Award and the 2018 Special Distinction Award for Leadership —
for her humanitarian and responsible policy in hosting the Rohingyas and for
her far-sighted leadership over the Rohingya issue.

The Inter Press Service (IPS), one of the world’s leading news agencies,
and the Global Hope Coalition, a network of three not-for-profit foundations
based in New York, Zurich and Hong Kong, honoured her with the two awards on
September 28 last year.

She received the Global Women’s Leadership Award on April 27 last year for
her outstanding leadership in women education and entrepreneurship in
Bangladesh.

The US-based Global Summit of Women conferred the prestigious accolade on
Sheikh Hasina at a gala dinner of the organization in Sydney, Australia.

The prime minister received the award from Global Summit of Women
President Irene Natividad amid thunderous clapping of nearly 1500 women
leaders from across the globe who joined the summit.

A four-time elected premier, Sheikh Hasina first drew an extra
international focus when the UN honoured her with its UNESCO Houphouet-Boigny
Peace Prize in 1998, a year after Bangladesh saw the end of a nearly two-
decade old insurgency in the southeastern hills in line with the peace talks
with the ethnic rebels.

“Following the footsteps of your father, who dedicated his life to
founding a nation, you in turn have taken that nation along the road of peace
and reconciliation . . . Your peace-making efforts within your country’s
borders have been matched by your dedication to the cause of a global culture
of peace,” the then UNESCO director general Federico Mayor told her while
handing over the award on September 24, 1999.

Since then, Sheikh Hasina has been keeping marks of her commitment to
areas of global peace, climate change, agriculture, girl’s education and ICT,
reintroducing Bangladesh to a global platform and installing the nation to an
elevated seat in the international arena.

The international academic community also acknowledged her contributions
with renowned universities in the United States, Britain, Australia, Belgium
and India conferring nine honourary doctorate degrees on laws, literature,
liberal arts and humane letters.

In 2010, the Bangladesh leader received the UN award for Bangladesh’s MDG
achievements for achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDG) particularly in
reducing child mortality.

In recognition to her continued commitment to the country’s development,
she was conferred with the “ICT Sustainable Development Award” for promoting
the use of ICT towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
in 2015.

Women in Parliament (WIP) and UNIESCO awarded her the “WIP Global Forum
Award” for her leading role in reducing gender gap in political sphere in
South and South East Asia in March this year and “Tree of Peace” Award for
promotion of girls’ and women’s education in September, 2014.

The premier won the “South-South Award twice, one in 2011 and another in
2013 for her contribution to reducing child and maternal mortality rates
through using information technology in health sector and to fight against
hunger and poverty.

She was also awarded the Pearl S Buck Award (1999), CERES Medal by FAO
(1999), Mother Teresa Award, MK Gandhi Award, Indira Gandhi Peace Award
(2009), Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque, Head of State Medal, Global Diversity
Award (2011, 2012), and Netaji Memorial Award (1997).

Besides, Cornell University of the United States awarded Sheikh Hasina a
certificate in September 2014 for her contribution to attaining self-
sufficiency in food production and ICT development.

Apart from these, Sheikh Hasina was conferred with honorary Doctor of
Liberal Arts by the University of Alberta Dundee in the United Kingdom in
1997, honorary Doctor of Laws by the Boston University in the United States
and the Waseda University of Japan respectively.

India’s Visva-Bharati University conferred her with the degree of
Desikottama (Doctor of Literature) while Australian National University
awarded her the honorary Doctor of Laws in 1999.

Peoples Friendship University of Russia also conferred her with honourary
doctorate degree in 2005 for her contribution to establishing peace,
democracy and human rights.

At home, she was conferred with honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Dhaka
University in 1999 while Catholic University of Brussels offered her with
identical honour in 2000.

She won the Champions of the Earth, the highest global accolade for
environment, in 2015 as recognition to her farsighted programmes in tackling
adverse impacts of climate change in Bangladesh.

In 2016, Sheikh Hasina was conferred with the “Agent of Change” award and
“Planet 50-50 Champion” honour for her outstanding contributions to women
empowerment.

The UN Women recognised the prime minister as “Planet 50-50 Champion”
while the Global Partnership Forum honoured her with the “Agent of Change”
award at a reception at the UN headquarters in New York that year.