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8 November 2010, Dhaka. As a part of the national level campaign on ultra poverty reduction, BRAC Advocacy Unit has successfully completed the week long ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010 Dhaka’ (from November 2 to November 8) on ultra poverty issues at the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

On November 8, we hosted the final debate between Dhaka College and Dhaka Commerce College which was followed by a grand closing ceremony.  The topic of the final debate was “Exact budgetary allocation will best contribute to alleviate extreme poverty.”  Dhaka College came out as the champions and Dhaka Commerce College became the runners up of the competition beating 14 other renowned colleges from the city. Nahian Bin Khaled from Dhaka College was voted ”Best Speaker.”

The week long event full of logic, argument, agreement, disagreement and rebuttal came to an end following a grand closing where Suranjit Sengupta, Co-chair, Constitutional Amendment Committee & Chair, Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry was present as the Chief Guest and Sheepa Hafiza, Director, Gender Justice & Diversity and Advocacy, BRAC chaired the session. Professor Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University, Professor Sirajul Islam, President, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Professor Mafuza Khanam, General Secretary, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and Mr. Abu Syed Khan, Executive Editor, the Daily Somokal were present as the Special Guests in the session. The guests highlighted BRAC’s contribution in extreme poverty reduction of our country. They also appreciated our initiatives to mobilise the youth in favour of the ultra poor through a scholarly tool like debate. 

To increase youth participation in favour of the ultra poor, BRAC Advocacy Unit regularly organises quizzes, seminars and debates at grassroots to national level. This debate competition was another step to reach the youth group.

At the end of the debate a student forum titled "Poverty Alleviation Forum" was formed with the debaters from 16 colleges along with some members from Dhaka University Debating Society (DUDS) who will actively work on ultra poverty issues.

BRAC Advocacy Unit intends to take the students of the forum to field visits in order to get firsthand knowledge about the ultra poor. They will then carry out dialogue sessions and issues based activities on ultra poverty and thus contribute in the ultra poverty reduction of the country. We strongly believe such involvements in a national agenda will engage the students as ambassadors of social change both at family and community level.



 

 

8 November 2010, Dhaka. As a part of the national level campaign on ultra poverty reduction, BRAC Advocacy Unit has successfully completed the week long ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010 Dhaka’ (from November 2 to November 8) on ultra poverty issues at the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

On November 8, we hosted the final debate between Dhaka College and Dhaka Commerce College which was followed by a grand closing ceremony.  The topic of the final debate was “Exact budgetary allocation will best contribute to alleviate extreme poverty.”  Dhaka College came out as the champions and Dhaka Commerce College became the runners up of the competition beating 14 other renowned colleges from the city. Nahian Bin Khaled from Dhaka College was voted ”Best Speaker.”

The week long event full of logic, argument, agreement, disagreement and rebuttal came to an end following a grand closing where Suranjit Sengupta, Co-chair, Constitutional Amendment Committee & Chair, Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry was present as the Chief Guest and Sheepa Hafiza, Director, Gender Justice & Diversity and Advocacy, BRAC chaired the session. Professor Ainun Nishat, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University, Professor Sirajul Islam, President, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Professor Mafuza Khanam, General Secretary, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and Mr. Abu Syed Khan, Executive Editor, the Daily Somokal were present as the Special Guests in the session. The guests highlighted BRAC’s contribution in extreme poverty reduction of our country. They also appreciated our initiatives to mobilise the youth in favour of the ultra poor through a scholarly tool like debate. 

To increase youth participation in favour of the ultra poor, BRAC Advocacy Unit regularly organises quizzes, seminars and debates at grassroots to national level. This debate competition was another step to reach the youth group.

At the end of the debate a student forum titled "Poverty Alleviation Forum" was formed with the debaters from 16 colleges along with some members from Dhaka University Debating Society (DUDS) who will actively work on ultra poverty issues.

BRAC Advocacy Unit intends to take the students of the forum to field visits in order to get firsthand knowledge about the ultra poor. They will then carry out dialogue sessions and issues based activities on ultra poverty and thus contribute in the ultra poverty reduction of the country. We strongly believe such involvements in a national agenda will engage the students as ambassadors of social change both at family and community level.



 

Fazle_Abed_Entrepreneurship_forum2010.jpg

4 November 2010, Lyon. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, attended the 2010 edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum held in Lyon, France, earlier this month. This annual event gathers more than 100 personalities, from more than 50 countries, to share best and continuously renewing practices and to promote entrepreneurship and social justice on a global scale.

In 2009, at last year’s forum, Sir Fazle was awarded the first ever ‘Entrepreneur for the World’ Award in the ‘Social Entrepreneur’ category. He was invited to be a guest speaker at the ‘Learning from Entrepreneurs’ conference at this year’s event.

In his speech at the EMLYON Business School Campus, Sir Fazle shared his insights on his concept on development of social entrepreneurship to fight against poverty, and about social entrepreneurs’ acting and working as “global citizens”.

Sir Fazle commends the “emerging group of business entrepreneurs, whose bottom line is not single but triple” in creating “societal, environmental and stakeholder value”, along with the “social entrepreneur driven by the need to take actions and whose economic, social and environmental impact always results in greater social good”.

The World Entrepreneurship Forum is the first global think tank dedicated to entrepreneurs, creators of wealth and social justice, founded by EMLYON Business School and KPMG.

 

Photo Copyright (c) EMLYON business school

Fazle_Abed_Entrepreneurship_forum2010.jpg

4 November 2010, Lyon. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, attended the 2010 edition of the World Entrepreneurship Forum held in Lyon, France, earlier this month. This annual event gathers more than 100 personalities, from more than 50 countries, to share best and continuously renewing practices and to promote entrepreneurship and social justice on a global scale.

In 2009, at last year’s forum, Sir Fazle was awarded the first ever ‘Entrepreneur for the World’ Award in the ‘Social Entrepreneur’ category. He was invited to be a guest speaker at the ‘Learning from Entrepreneurs’ conference at this year’s event.

In his speech at the EMLYON Business School Campus, Sir Fazle shared his insights on his concept on development of social entrepreneurship to fight against poverty, and about social entrepreneurs’ acting and working as “global citizens”.

Sir Fazle commends the “emerging group of business entrepreneurs, whose bottom line is not single but triple” in creating “societal, environmental and stakeholder value”, along with the “social entrepreneur driven by the need to take actions and whose economic, social and environmental impact always results in greater social good”.

The World Entrepreneurship Forum is the first global think tank dedicated to entrepreneurs, creators of wealth and social justice, founded by EMLYON Business School and KPMG.

 

Photo Copyright (c) EMLYON business school

03 November 2010, Dhaka.  We had a grand opening of ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010, Dhaka’ at the Asiatic Society premises which was followed by a colourful rally. Professor Dr. A.A.M.S. Arefin Siddique of Dhaka University inaugurated the programme while Rashed Khan Menon, MP and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee for Education was present as the Chief Guest.

Professor Sirajul Islam, Chairman Asiatic Society, Professor Mafuza Khanam, General Secretary, Asiatic Society and Mr. Sishir Shil, Secretary General; all Party Parliamentary Group were present as Special Guests in the Opening Ceremony. All the speakers highlighted BRAC’s contribution in extreme poverty reduction of our country. They also appreciated our initiatives to mobilise the youth in favour of the Ultra Poor through a scholarly tool like debate. BRAC Advocacy Unit honoured the guests with complementary crests.

At the very first day of the debate competition, four parliamentary debates were held among eight renowned colleges and madrasas of the city. All the topics were focused on ultra poor issues like gender equality, social justice, pro-poor budgeting and other similar issues.

03 November 2010, Dhaka.  We had a grand opening of ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010, Dhaka’ at the Asiatic Society premises which was followed by a colourful rally. Professor Dr. A.A.M.S. Arefin Siddique of Dhaka University inaugurated the programme while Rashed Khan Menon, MP and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee for Education was present as the Chief Guest.

Professor Sirajul Islam, Chairman Asiatic Society, Professor Mafuza Khanam, General Secretary, Asiatic Society and Mr. Sishir Shil, Secretary General; all Party Parliamentary Group were present as Special Guests in the Opening Ceremony. All the speakers highlighted BRAC’s contribution in extreme poverty reduction of our country. They also appreciated our initiatives to mobilise the youth in favour of the Ultra Poor through a scholarly tool like debate. BRAC Advocacy Unit honoured the guests with complementary crests.

At the very first day of the debate competition, four parliamentary debates were held among eight renowned colleges and madrasas of the city. All the topics were focused on ultra poor issues like gender equality, social justice, pro-poor budgeting and other similar issues.

Monday, 01 November 2010 18:00

Inter College Debate Competition-2010, Dhaka

02 November 2010, Dhaka. Today’s student is tomorrow’s leader. They can immensely contribute for the development of the country. Realising their potential BRAC Advocacy Unit seeks to mobilise Youth Groups in favour of the Ultra Poor. With a view to informing the students about the poverty situation and the ultra poverty scenario of Bangladesh and to sensitise them to take constructive initiatives for poverty reduction, the Advocacy Unit regularly organises Quizzes, Seminars and Debates from the grassroots to the national level. As a part of national level campaign we are going to organise ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010, Dhaka’ on the ultra poverty issue from the 2nd of November  to the 8th of November, 2010 at Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 16 renowned colleges from the city are going to Participate in this event. Some active members of Dhaka University Debating Society (DUDS) are helping us to organise this event. The opening ceremony will be held on the 3rd of November, 2010 and the closing session will commence on November 08, 2010. For the occasion we organised a Press Conference at the Auditorium of Asiatic Society on November 02, 2010. Thirty reporters from both electronic and print media were present there. We strongly believe such involvement in a national agenda like Ultra Poverty will engage the students as ambassador of social change both at family and community level.

Monday, 01 November 2010 18:00

Inter College Debate Competition-2010, Dhaka

02 November 2010, Dhaka. Today’s student is tomorrow’s leader. They can immensely contribute for the development of the country. Realising their potential BRAC Advocacy Unit seeks to mobilise Youth Groups in favour of the Ultra Poor. With a view to informing the students about the poverty situation and the ultra poverty scenario of Bangladesh and to sensitise them to take constructive initiatives for poverty reduction, the Advocacy Unit regularly organises Quizzes, Seminars and Debates from the grassroots to the national level. As a part of national level campaign we are going to organise ‘Inter College Debate Competition 2010, Dhaka’ on the ultra poverty issue from the 2nd of November  to the 8th of November, 2010 at Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 16 renowned colleges from the city are going to Participate in this event. Some active members of Dhaka University Debating Society (DUDS) are helping us to organise this event. The opening ceremony will be held on the 3rd of November, 2010 and the closing session will commence on November 08, 2010. For the occasion we organised a Press Conference at the Auditorium of Asiatic Society on November 02, 2010. Thirty reporters from both electronic and print media were present there. We strongly believe such involvement in a national agenda like Ultra Poverty will engage the students as ambassador of social change both at family and community level.

Right To Know Celebrated by Advocacy Unit

29 September 2010, Dhaka. With a vow to raise awareness of individuals` right to access government information and to promote access to information as a fundamental human right, BRAC Advocacy Unit celebrated the ‘International Right to Know Day’ on September 28, 2010 as an active member of ‘Right to Information –RTI Forum’.

BRAC strongly believes that the right to know is every individual’s fundamental human right. As a manifestation of that belief BRAC Advocacy Unit celebrated the day both at District and Upazilla level in collaboration with the RTI Forum. The activities of celebration included rallies, discussion sessions, seminars, melas and cultural programs in 27 districts and 84 Upazillas throughout the country.
 

22 September 2010, Dhaka. Today at the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Summit Special Event on the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, BRAC founder and chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed pledged to mobilize $700 million over the next five years to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child and maternal mortality and saving the lives of millions of the worlds most vulnerable in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Haiti.

“Over the last few years, BRAC’s health program in Bangladesh has generated significant reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality,” said Sir Fazle. BRAC has been providing support to pregnant women in rural Bangladesh and more recently in urban Bangladesh with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “We want to improve women’s and children’s health not only to reach the MDGs by 2015 but to exceed them,” said Sir Fazle.

Every year, 8 million children die preventable deaths – 3.2 million die less than a month after they are born – and 500,000 women die in childbirth in the world’s poorest countries.   The UN’s latest figures demonstrate progress is being made:  the number of child deaths per day has declined to 22,000 - 12,000 fewer per day than in 1990.  Nonetheless, only 9 of 64 countries with the highest mortality of children under 5 are on track to meet their goals for reducing child deaths by 2015.

Sir Fazle said, “Guided by the conviction that all lives have equal value, we must do all we can to stop the unnecessary deaths of mothers and babies.  We can harness the advances in science and technology to save lives – not just in rich countries – but everywhere.”

MEDIA CONTACTS

USA:
Michelle Chaplin:    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    1 212 808 5615

Bangladesh:
Pushpita Alam:    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABOUT BRAC (formerly Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee)
BRAC, the largest non-profit in the developing world, was launched in Bangladesh in 1972 and currently touches the lives of more than 138 million people through its programs addressing poverty including micro-loans, education, health services, self-employment opportunities and human rights education. BRAC has provided $6.7 billion in micro-loans to nearly eight million borrowers, mostly women, and created 9 million self-employment opportunities. BRAC’s 84,000 community health promoters have provided basic health services to nearly 100 million people. Currently, BRAC has programs in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Uganda.  For more information, please visit www.bracusa.org.

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