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11 May 2012, Dhaka. 1 June 2012 is the last day for non-governmental organizations to apply for Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) consultative status in order to have an opportunity to take part in UN deliberations.

ECOSOC consultative status is governed by ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, which outlines the eligibility requirements for consultative status, rights and obligations of NGOs in consultative status, procedures for the withdrawal or suspension of consultative status, the role and functions of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, and the responsibilities of the UN Secretariat in supporting the consultative relationship.

Consultative status is granted by ECOSOC upon recommendation of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, which is comprised of 19 Member States.

ECOSOC Needs You
While ECOSOC has the opportunity to avail itself of valuable and expert advice from NGOs, the NGOs in turn also have the opportunity of expressing their views and influencing the work of the Council. NGOs have specialized competence, hands-on experience and flexibility that is of great value to the UN. For instance, by having consultative status, an NGO could:
- Provide expert analysis on issues directly from its experience in the field;
- Serve as an early warning agent;
- Help monitor and implement international agreements;
- Help raise public awareness of relevant issues;
- Play a major role in advancing United Nations goals and objectives;
- Contribute with essential information at organization events.

Benefits
On the other hand, ECOSOC provides NGOs the opportunity to be heard by a truly global audience and contribute to its agenda. An NGO with consultative status can:
- Attend international conferences and events;
- Make written and oral statements at these events;
- Organize side events;
- Enter United Nations premises;
- Have opportunities to network and lobby.

Eligibility Requirements
International, regional, sub regional and national non-governmental, non-profit public or voluntary organizations may be granted the consultative status. NGOs affiliated to an international organization already in status may be admitted provided that they can demonstrate that their program of work is of direct relevance to the aims and purposes of the United Nations. In the case of national organizations consultation with the Member State concerned is required.

NGOs that can be granted the consultative status must:
- have been in existence (officially registered with the appropriate government authorities as an NGO/non-profit) for at least two years.;
- have an established headquarters.;
- have a democratically adopted constitution, authority to speak for its members, a representative structure, appropriate mechanisms of accountability and democratic and transparent decision-making processes;
- must have their basic resources derived in the main part from contributions of the national affiliates or other components or from individual members;
- not be established by governments or intergovernmental agreements.

The deadline is June 1, 2012.   Do not miss the opportunity to apply for ECOSOC Consultative Status with the United Nations.

Please visit the following link to start the process:  http://csonet.org/?menu=83

9 May 2012, Dhaka.  “Education should be about something more than just read and write, as you (Sir Abed) said it's about giving a chance, it's about sustainable development of education, it's about knowing our environment, about taking initiative and much more than that. "- Ms Irina Bokova, the first woman Director-General of UNESCO, said this while in conversation with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. In a meeting on 9 May 2012 at BRAC Centre, Ms Irina Bokova along with her high officials, met with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed for a discussion which was primarily focused on BRAC integrated and sustainable approach towards development sectors, especially in Education and Health. UNESCO Education Speciallist Kiichi Oyasu, Director of BRAC Education Programme Dr. Safiqul Islam and Director of Institute of Educational Development Ms. Erum Mariam were also present in the meeting.

During the meeting, they discussed about BRAC’s activities in the education arena. For capacity building in public sector, BRAC introduced Institute of Educational Development under BRAC University, where Masters Degrees and various short courses are being offered. Dr. Safiqul Islam, Director of BRAC Education Programme, discussed about innovative approaches of BRAC Education Programme like boat schools in haor areas, mother language based school for ethnic children and special education opportunity for children with special needs.

Ms Irina Bokova mentioned the importance of showcasing positive development stories. She also appreciated the way BRAC works closely with the government to bring synergy in the outcomes. She has invited the Chairperson to attend a meeting in UNESCO's headquarter in Paris where they will discuss about the post 2015 agenda on the next goals of UNESCO. She also wants UNESCO to work closely with BRAC in Asia and Africa where BRAC is working.

When Ms Irina Bokova mentioned about quality improvement in teaching and learning process, Sir Abed mentioned that teaching and learning can be improved only by the government’s involvement, since they are leading the education system.

06 May 2012, Dhaka. Mohammed Mohiuddin (41), a Bangladeshi development specialist working for BRAC Afghanistan, who was tragically killed by armed miscreants in Afghanistan last Thursday, has been laid to rest today at his family graveyard in Fulbaria of Mymensingh district. A team of senior BRAC officials, including the Chief Financial Officer of BRAC Group S N Kairy and Directors Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury and Najmul Hossain, attended the burial. The team received Mohiuddin’s body, which was flown back to Dhaka from Kabul earlier in the morning, at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and escorted it to his village in Fulbaria. Later the BRAC officials attended Mohiuddin’s namaz-e-janaja along with the upazila Chairman Anwar Kabir, government officials, local elites and people in the community.

Speaking on behalf of BRAC, Kairy said, ‘Nothing can truly recompense the family for the loss of their loved one. Yet BRAC will continue to do everything possible to provide support to the family, starting with a compensation of Tk. 10,00,000 in addition to whatever employee benefits that Mohiuddin’s family is entitled to.’ He also said that BRAC is reviewing its strategic plans for Afghanistan and has stopped deploying Bangladeshi staff in risky areas of Afghanistan. BRAC's staffs are our biggest asset and we will take every measure to protect them’, he said. BRAC will wait for the results of the investigations before drawing further conclusions in relation to the incident of killing.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed her condolences at the tragic death of Mohiuddin to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed during her meeting with the BRAC Founder in Dhaka on Sunday morning. The Secretary of State also appreciated BRAC’s development efforts in Afghanistan.

Mohiuddin served BRAC for 14 years as a sector specialist in agriculture. He was posted at BRAC Afghanistan since 2009 in the community based livelihood improvement project in the Ghor Province in Western Afghanistan.
 

06 May 2012, Dhaka. Mohammed Mohiuddin (41), a Bangladeshi development specialist working for BRAC Afghanistan, who was tragically killed by armed miscreants in Afghanistan last Thursday, has been laid to rest today at his family graveyard in Fulbaria of Mymensingh district. A team of senior BRAC officials, including the Chief Financial Officer of BRAC Group S N Kairy and Directors Shabbir Ahmed Chowdhury and Najmul Hossain, attended the burial. The team received Mohiuddin’s body, which was flown back to Dhaka from Kabul earlier in the morning, at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and escorted it to his village in Fulbaria. Later the BRAC officials attended Mohiuddin’s namaz-e-janaja along with the upazila Chairman Anwar Kabir, government officials, local elites and people in the community.

Speaking on behalf of BRAC, Kairy said, ‘Nothing can truly recompense the family for the loss of their loved one. Yet BRAC will continue to do everything possible to provide support to the family, starting with a compensation of Tk. 10,00,000 in addition to whatever employee benefits that Mohiuddin’s family is entitled to.’ He also said that BRAC is reviewing its strategic plans for Afghanistan and has stopped deploying Bangladeshi staff in risky areas of Afghanistan. BRAC's staffs are our biggest asset and we will take every measure to protect them’, he said. BRAC will wait for the results of the investigations before drawing further conclusions in relation to the incident of killing.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed her condolences at the tragic death of Mohiuddin to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed during her meeting with the BRAC Founder in Dhaka on Sunday morning. The Secretary of State also appreciated BRAC’s development efforts in Afghanistan.

Mohiuddin served BRAC for 14 years as a sector specialist in agriculture. He was posted at BRAC Afghanistan since 2009 in the community based livelihood improvement project in the Ghor Province in Western Afghanistan.
 

 6 May 2012, Dhaka — Knight Commander, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed and Nobel Laureate, Muhammad Yunus, have been marked as the creators of the world’s two best organizations – BRAC and Grameen Bank – by the visiting US secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. In an early morning 9 o’clock meeting on 6 May 2012, at the Gulshan Residence of the US ambassador of Bangladesh, Dan W Mozena; Sir Fazle and Dr. Yunus met with Secretary Clinton for an hour long discussion which was primarily focused on the development of Bangladesh and women’s rights and empowerment.

Various other national and regional issues were also brought into focus which included feasible solutions to the electricity crisis, the current political situation, mobile phone technology usage in disseminating developmental services, the country’s poverty reduction capacity, youth empowerment, development success achieved so far in Bangladesh and its enduring potential. The two visionaries of Bangladesh have requested the continued support and assistance from the US in regard to these issues.

During the meeting, Secretary Clinton expressed her deep condolences to the family and friends of Mohammad Mohiuddin, BRAC’s Area Manger in the western province of Ghor, Afghanistan, who died in an armed attack on 3rd May 2012. She praised and appreciated the micro credit system, giving due credit to BRAC and Grameen Bank for the sustainable progress in the social structure of Bangladesh. She expressed her gratitude to both of them for their commitment and hard work towards such development work.

For a developing nation like Bangladesh, she has ensured continued US assistance for the betterment of humanity. Secretary Clinton said that she has known Sir Fazle and Dr. Yunus for almost 25 years and honours them as “national treasures” with the hope that the Government will also treat them accordingly.

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC and BRAC International, expressed his profound shock and grief at the untimely death of Md. Mohiuddin, a Bangladeshi BRAC staff working in Afghanistan.

Sir Fazle said, “I join Mohiuddin’s family in this moment of grief. I wish them the strength and courage to help them pass through this difficult time. Mohiuddin demonstrated great bravery and dedication in serving humanity by working closely with the Afghan communities. I know that this is an irreparable loss, but BRAC will do everything possible to provide support to his family.

This tragedy highlights the commitment of our staff including Bangladeshi development experts who take significant risks to work for the underprivileged people in different parts of the world. BRAC will continue to work in difficult areas of Afghanistan, but with the deteriorating security situation we are acting with great urgency to review our plans to ensure staff safety.”

4 May 2012, Dhaka. On Thursday, May 3, a group of four armed men broke into BRAC staff residence in the western province of Ghor, Afghanistan. We are deeply saddened to announce that the incident led to the tragic loss of a life of one of our own.

BRAC leadership wishes to extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of our Area Manager, Mohammad Mohiuddin. He was 41 years old and left behind a wife and two children in Fulbaria, Mymensingh. We are doing everything we can to assist his family during this difficult time. Mohiuddin served with BRAC for 14 years as a sector specialist in Agriculture. He was working at BRAC Afghanistan since 2009 and helped many Afghan families improve their lives through his work in community based livelihood improvement project in Ghor. He recently started working for a new project on water management which has a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock in Afghanistan.

BRAC has been working in Afghanistan since 2002. With 3,000 staff including 152 Bangladeshi, the organization has a direct programme presence in 23 provinces and through partnership with local NGOs in the remaining 11 provinces, including the ones where insecurity has been on the rise in recent times. BRAC is the largest development organization in Afghanistan serving 29.8 million poor, with a focus on women and girls to help them come out of poverty and lead a healthier and more empowered life.

We are closely monitoring developments in Afghanistan with great concern as the overall security situation in the country is increasingly deteriorating. Safeguarding the interests and well-being of the Bangladeshi and Afghan staff deployed in areas where insecurity is rising, remains our top priority.

Friday, 27 April 2012 18:00

Observation of World Malaria Day 2012


28 April 2012, Dhaka. World Malaria Day was observed on April 25, 2012 by BRAC Health Programme (BHP) and BRAC Advocacy for Social Change. This event was a joint initiative of BRAC and National Malaria Control Program (NMCP).The daylong programme included rally and Discussion Meeting where Government official and representatives from non Government organisations participated.  The rally, started from National Museum and continued to Bangla Academi ; was followed by a discussion meeting at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel where Prof. A. F. M. Ruhal Haque M.P, Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare was present as chief guest. Dr. Captain (Retd.) Mozibur Rahman Fakir M.P, State Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Prof. (Dr.) Syed Modasser Ali, Adviser, Health & Family Welfare and Social Welfare Affairs Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Begum Akhtari Momtaj, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare were present as Special guests. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Dr. Md. Sefatullah, DG, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Representatives from 21 NGOs, Journalists were present at the meeting.  Prof. Benazir Ahmed, Director, Disease Control, DGHS gave a presentation on the current situation of Malaria in Bangladesh highlighting treatment condition and future plan.   A theme song on malaria sung by renowned artist Samina Chowdhury was released on this occasion. A documentary on World Malaria Day observation was telecasted on April 27, 2012 at BTV containing interviews, rally, highlights of discussion meetings and message for public.

10 April 2012, Dhaka. In a unique event that highlights government and NGO partnership, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed today between BRAC and the Directorate of Women Affairs. Under this MoU, the parties will work together to replicate the model of BRAC’s Adolescent Clubs in seven districts: Gopalganj,Sirajganj, Thakurgaon, Rangamati, Moulvibazar, Jhalokathi, and Chuadanga. The Government will be using this BRAC model, which has been replicated in Africa and currently has over 260,000 members in Bangladesh in establishing their own Adolescents Clubs to empower young women.

BRAC will provide technical assistance; prepare training modules, and other support materials that will play a crucial role in the implementation of this endeavour.

The MoU is signed by, Md. Ashraf Hossain, Director General, Directorate of Women Affairs and Dr Safiqul Islam Director, BRAC Education Programme. 

Executive Director Dr. Mahbub Hossain mentioned that NGOs shows innovative and effective path to implement a goal, but to bring out the positive impact in large scale government has the capability ; NGOs can work with government in root level and by working together synergic result will be produced. He believes that adolescent clubs will bring positive changes and uphold the gender parity in the society. 

Md. Ashraf Hossain, Director General, Directorate of Women Affairs mentioned that Government has adopted National Women Development Policy (NWDP). Their road map is to transform the society from patriarchy approach to gender equality. This signing ceremony will work as milestone towards their goal.

Director of Communications Asif Saleh, Deputy Director of Directorate of Women Affairs Zakia Yasmin Zoardar, Programme Coordinator of BRAC Education Programme Md. Monowar Hossain Khondakar, BRAC Adolescent Programme Manager Rashida Parveen were also present.

Currently BRAC runs more than 8,000 Adolescent Clubs for young women from underprivileged backgrounds. The clubs offer adolescents life skills based education- facilitated by their peers – that focus on different social and health related issues, such as reproductive health, sexual abuse, children’s rights, gender, HIV/AIDS, STI, eve teasing (verbal sexual abuse), child trafficking, substance abuse, violence, family planning, child marriage, dowry, and acid throwing. Kishori Kendros provide the opportunity for girls to learn valuable skills by offering Livelihood Training courses on tailoring, embroidery, journalism, poultry, livestock, and beauty care to empower individuals to become financially independent.

Research findings show how ADP – Adolescent Peer Organized Network (APON) course graduates become empowered in terms of participation in and control over decision making and in nurturing leadership qualities to be the agents of social change. The study also captured how the target groups’ attitudes towards early marriage, dowry, reproductive health knowledge, health seeking behaviour, knowledge on HIV/AIDS along with other STDs, awareness on social and gender perceptions vary from the general adolescents nationally.
 

Wednesday, 07 March 2012 18:00

BRAC releases star-studded musical album

08 March 2012, Dhaka. Innovative collaboration features singers from BRAC’s Adolescent Development Programme.

The largest Bangladeshi non-governmental organization is releasing a first of its kind musical album, featuring members of its Adolescent Development Programme.  Containing nine tracks, the album is collaboration with top musicians from the country, including Arnob, Habib, Bappa, Balam, Fahmida Nabi, Kona, Labik,Palbasha and Sohini.

"It was a great pleasure working on this project with the girls. I hope they benefited from the experience of working in the recording studio. I wish them all the best!” said Balam.
Bappa also added “The album reflects the talent of these young girls. I feel privileged to be to be a part of this initiative”

The album, titled Nari (Bangla for ‘woman’) releases on International Women’s Day, 8 March. Every song relates the slogan “Connecting girls, inspiring the future”, the theme of this year’s celebration.

The Founder and Chairman of BRAC, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed recently at a speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary re-affirmed his organisation’s ardent commitment to women’s empowerment during a gala which celebrated BRAC’s 40th Anniversary. “We have come far but we still have a lot to accomplish in the field of women’s empowerment. Once women realise their true potential, only then they will be able to write their own stories of success”, said Sir Fazle.

BRAC Director of Communications, Asif Saleh said that “BRAC is about realising potential of the people who have been excluded by the system. This album shows what these girls are capable of if given a chance.”

All major distributors of audio CD’s and all outlets of Aarong will sell the album throughout the country. The individual artists participating in the collaboration are also heavily promoting the launch.

The young women of the Adolescent Development Programme were featured in a reality TV show in 2009, titled Naache Gaane Number 1 as well as Meghe Dhaka Tara in 2011. These programmes were an initiative of BRAC to promote and inspire underprivileged adolescent girls from every corner of the country in participating in cultural and artistic events.

BRAC’s Education Programme opened the Adolescent Clubs giving girls the chance to socialise, play indoor games, sing, dance and exchange views and experiences-all activities that were frowned upon in their homes. It offers adolescents life skills based education- facilitated by their peers- on different social and health related issues. Livelihood Training courses are offered to girls to empower them financially. More than 8000 clubs are present in 57 districts reaching over 200,000 adolescents.

Watch "Revive": a song by BRAC adolescent girls

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