Today (Sunday, 27 April 2025) marks the 89th birthday of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of BRAC, the world's leading non-governmental development organisation. Sir Fazle was born on 27 April 1936, in the village of Baniachang, Habiganj. BRAC, the organisation he established, has now evolved into the world's largest non-governmental development organisation.
In 1962, he studied accountancy in London and became a cost management accountant. His life took a dramatic turn during the devastating cyclone of 1970 and the Liberation War of 1971 while working for a British multinational firm in Pakistan. Following the outbreak of liberation war, he resigned and returned to London, where he initiated the formation of two organisations, 'Action Bangladesh' and 'Help Bangladesh,' to aid the liberation effort.
In 1972, following the country's independence, he returned to Sunamganj at the age of 36 to establish BRAC. His aim was to provide relief and resettlement for the returning refugees in the remote areas of the district, as the nation faced economic turmoil. With one million refugees returning from India, urgent measures were needed. BRAC's primary objective was to empower the poor by creating employment opportunities and enhancing their skills, thereby transforming their lives.
Over the years, BRAC has expanded its reach into a diverse range of sectors, including health, education, microfinance, skills development, agriculture and food security, cottage industries, human rights, road safety, shelter, and urban development, all under its integrated development approach.
BRAC is now recognised as the number one NGO in the world, operating in 14 countries across Asia and Africa, including Bangladesh. In recognition of its impact, innovation, and scalability, the Geneva-based media organisation, 'NGO Advisor', ranked BRAC as the top NGO among the world's top 500 for the fifth consecutive year in 2020.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed breathed his last in Dhaka on 20 December 2019.
Other Recognitions and Awards:
In recognition of his distinguished and exceptional contributions to social service, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed has been posthumously awarded the Independence Award 2025, the highest civilian honour conferred by the Government of Bangladesh.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed has been honoured with numerous national and international awards for his achievements in leading BRAC, including the Yidan Prize for Education Development (2019), Dutch Royal Knighthood (2019), LEGO Prize (2018), Laudato Si' Award (2017), Jose Edgardo Campos Collaborative Leadership Award, South Asia Region (2016), Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal in Global Public Health (2016), World Food Prize (2015), Trust Women Hero Award (2014), Spanish Order of Civil Merit (2014), Leo Tolstoy International Gold Medal (2014), CEU Open Society Prize (2013), Inaugural WISE Prize for Education (2011), Entrepreneur for the World Award (2009), David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007), Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership (2007), Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation (PKSF) Award for lifetime achievement in social development and poverty alleviation (2007), UNDP Mahbubul Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Development (2004), Gates Award for Global Health (2004), Gleitsman Foundation International Activist Award (2003), Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneurship Award (2003), Olof Palme Prize (2001), InterAction Humanitarian Award (1998) and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1980).
He is also recognised by Ashoka as one of the 'global greats' and is a founding member of its prestigious Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2009, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George by the British Crown in recognition of his services to reducing poverty in Bangladesh and internationally. Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was a member of the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2010 to advise on support for the Least Developed Countries. In both 2014 and 2017, he was named in Fortune Magazine’s List of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
The many honorary degrees received by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed include those from Princeton University (2014), the University of Oxford (2009), Columbia University (2008) and Yale University (2007).
