PM to hand UNESCO international prizes in Dhaka

UNESCO will distribute its 2014 international literacy prizes in Dhaka.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 August 2014, 01:57 PM
Updated : 31 August 2014, 01:57 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over those prizes on Sep 8 in the presence of UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova.

The foreign ministry’s director general of the UN wing Saida Muna Tasneem told journalists on Sunday that it would be an honour for Bangladesh.

She said it was in recognition of Bangladesh’s performance in girls’ education.

Tasneem said Bangladesh was one of the 14 ‘champion countries’ of the UN Global Education First Initiative launched in Sep 2012.

She made the announcement just after Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque’s briefing on Bangladesh-Myanmar talks.

The secretary was also present during her announcement.

She said the DG would come to Bangladesh on Sep 7.

Every year on International Literacy Day, Sep 8, UNESCO awards individuals and organisations for their contribution in increasing literacy.

This year the prize focuses on literacy and sustainable development.

Three of the five winners will receive the ‘UNESCO Confucius Prizes for Literacy’ created in 2005 with the support of China.

The other two would receive ‘UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prizes’ created in 1989 with the support of South Korea.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Education will receive the King Sejong Literacy Prizes for its ‘Basic Education for Youth and Adults Project’.

Burkina Faso’s Association for Promoting Non-Formal Education is the other recipient of the Sejong Literacy Prize, according to UNESCO.

The Algerian Association for Literacy IQRRA, Lifelong Learning School for Community Development Poligono Sur (Spain), the Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy (South Africa) will receive the Confucius Prize for Literacy.

Each of the five winners will receive $20,000 in prize money, a diploma and a medal.