FAO ‘Achievement Award’ Bangladesh received for reaching MDGs handed to PM Hasina

Food Minister Qamrul Islam has handed the FAO ‘Achievement Award’ to the prime minister, a recognition by the UN organisation of Bangladesh’s notable progress in fighting hunger and undernourishment.

Islam gave award to Sheikh Hasina before the Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters.
 
He said the food minister received the award on behalf of Hasina at an event titled 'Recognising Notable and Outstanding Progress in Fighting Hunger' in Rome on June 7.
 
It was organised on the sidelines of the 39th session of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
 
The award mentioned that Bangladesh reached the target of 1(C) of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to reduce country's population sufferings from undernourishment by at least 50 percent or to bring it below 5 percent, between 1990 and 2015.
 
“We have achieved that goal before 2015. This is a matter of great joy that Bangladesh has received such recognition,” said Bhuiyan.
 
Last year’s Demographic and Health Survey showed Bangladesh made a significant progress in the food and nutrition sector, once regarded as the least improved area.
 
It showed that stunting of the under-five children had reduced to 36 percent, two percentage points lower than the 2016 targets, and five percentage points than the 2011 survey.
 
Underweight had reduced to 33 percent from the 36 percent in 2011, putting Bangladesh on track to reach one of the MDG 1 targets.