Spain honours Sir Abed

Brac founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed has been honoured with the prestigious Spanish Order of Civil Merit in recognition of his outstanding contribution to poverty alleviation and community empowerment.

The Spanish ambassador in Dhaka Luis Tejada handed over the award to Abed in a ceremony at a city hotel yesterday. 

Receiving the award, Abed said he owes this recognition to all his colleagues at Brac.

"I'm extremely happy to receive this award. However, this recognition has been achieved by all of my hardworking colleagues," he said.

The Order of Civil Merit award is usually granted to Spanish nationals or foreigners who have carried out civil services of extraordinary value to Spain, said an official of the Spanish embassy in Dhaka. 

BRAC since its inception in 1972 has worked consistently to alleviate poverty through microfinance and various other community development programmes on agriculture and food security, health, education, safe water, sanitation, human rights, migration, disaster management and environment conservation in Bangladesh, and other Asian, African and Caribbean countries. 

Brac Founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, second from left, receives Spanish Order of Civil Merit from Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Luis Tejada at Lakeshore Hotel in the capital yesterday in recognition of his contribution to poverty alleviation and community empowerment while Taufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, looks on. Photo: Star

AECID, the Spanish agency for cooperation and international development, finances various women empowerment programmes of Brac.  

Among other prestigious global awards, Abed was honoured with the Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG) by the British Crown in 2010.