For the second time, prime minister Hasina received South-South award for her achievement in fighting poverty use of technology in Bangladesh.
The International Organisation for South-South Cooperation (IOSSC) authority handed over the award to the PM at their headquarters in New York on Monday night. After receiving the award, Sheikh Hasina said that the achievement is not her, it is for the nation. “We are fighting to reduce poverty over the years and reduced it from 51 per cent to 26 per cent,” she said. “Our goal is to eliminate poverty from the country permanently,’ she hoped. This year, the IOSSC authority has given the award to great African leader Nelson Mendela, president of Costa Rica, prime minister of Fiji and first lady of Dominican Republic.
Earlier, she attended a reception hosted by the US president Barak Obama and First Lady Michel Obama in the evening.
UNB adds: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday received an award for Bangladesh for its stellar performance in fighting against poverty as well as significant reduction in poverty during the present government.
President of the South-South headquarters and South-South News Ambassador Francis Lorenzo handed over the award.
Heads of government of different countries and their spouses were present at the function.
PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters about the ceremony.
After receiving the award, Hasina thanked the IOSSC and other dignitaries who were present at the function for presenting the award to her and her country for Bangladesh’s achievement on significant poverty reduction.
“It recognises important achievement of our people and our government during its tenure and I’m proud to accept the award as recognition of Bangladesh’s efforts and efforts of the developing countries from the global south that are fighting to eliminate poverty,” she added.
Appreciating the continued support of Ambassador Francis to the cause of poverty, Hasina said, “The award will inspire us in Bangladesh to work harder to win our war against poverty, especially to accelerate progress towards 2015. It’ll also inspire us to equally work harder to attain all the other goals that will have set forward ourselves and Bangladesh within 2021.” Recognising the valuable support of the development partners like the World Bank, UN, UN agencies, UNDP and other international organisations, she said,
“There’re greater involvement in terms of financial resources, and technological support would enable us to overcome poverty and all other challenges.” She also expected that the global leaders to stand by the country’s people, work together and achieve the goal that the world would become poverty-free, hunger-free and people should live a better life, which is also the main goal of her government.
“Inshallah, we’ll be able to achieve that and Bangladesh have already achieved a lot to establish Digital Bangladesh… we’ve almost established it that now we can say that,” Hasina added.
Devoting the award to the people of Bangladesh as this achievement belongs to the country’s people, the Prime Minister also expressed her belief to turn Bangladesh into a hunger- and poverty-free prosperous ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Extending her heartfelt thanks to the country’s people for electing Awami League and thus serving the nation, she highlighted various achievements of her government.
-With The Independent input