Ahsania Mission gets AGFUND award for environment

The Arab Gulf Fund for UN Development Organisations has made it an annual event since 1999 to award two organisations and an individual from around the globe for their contribution towards human life improvement.

This year Dhaka Ahsania Mission got the US $100,000 award in national category for its contribution to environmental improvement in Bangladesh along with the Near East Foundation of the USA in international category and the CDI of Brazil in the individual category.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who is also the president of AGFUND, distributed the prizes at a pre-dinner ceremony at Tunis.

"We have learnt the lesson that when we are in indignity, we need a united helping hand," said the prince. "Injustice and oppression are going on in our sisterly countries. I call upon everyone to rise to fight indignity. In the darkness, we should not despair."

In an oblique reference to the Middle East situation, the prince said: "How could we amuse ourselves while our brothers are being subjected to the worst forms of disgrace? How could we bring ourselves to rejoice when a happy moment has become a scarcity… when aggression, injustice and oppression overshadows our brotherly countries, disgracing their people, who were once dignified citizens."

"I am here addressing the external powers and occupiers of our countries, but I make no exception to those kinsmen who instil anger in our hearts, targeting the innocent and spreading fear among people as they destroy homes," Aziz said in a painful voice.

Walking to the podium after receiving the award, Kazi Rafiqul Alam, president and chief executive of Ahsania Mission, said, "The award will give new encouragement to Ahsania Mission to work for the betterment of humanity. Bangladesh with the huge population pressure needs more work for environment."

The Mission got the award for working with 15 million people in its environment promotional activities. It has distributed 16 million saplings, planted 1.9 million trees, raised 560 nurseries and set up 98 environment resource centres.

For safe water and sanitation, the Mission has installed around 95,000 sanitary latrines and 35,000 shallow and deep tubewells. To fight arsenic contamination, it screened 161,000 tubewells and made alternative water supply arrangement.

"Awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize to an environmentalist emphasised that enhanced understanding of the environment and security interface can be an important tool in promoting social harmony and peace. However, the scale of environmental services which Ahsania Mission has implemented over the last several years is no less in scale and magnitude for which Ms Wangari has received the Nobel Prize," said Alam.

Tunisian Minister for Social Affairs Rafi Dakhel and President of Islamic Development Bank Ahmed Mohammed Ali also spoke.