Save the Children appoints Ishtiaq Mannan new Deputy Country Director for Bangladesh

The Save the Children International has appointed Dr Ishtiaq Mannan as its new Deputy Country Director for Bangladesh effective from Aug 1.

He is the first Bangladeshi to be appointed in this position after the Save the Children of all countries combined in 2011.

 Currently, he is serving as its Director for Health, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS sector.

In an immediate reaction, he told bdnews24.com that he would be able to contribute more from the new position.

"Children in Bangladesh, like in many other developing countries, are most deprived.  Multiple deprivation hinders their survival, growth and protection. For a prosperous Bangladesh we need to work for children in a comprehensive way - the new assignment creates a better and strategic opportunity for that,” he said.

He has been working for Save the Children movement since 2009.

Prior to Save, he worked with organisations like the Johns Hopkins University, icddr-b, UNFPA, and Partners in Population and Development.

 In addition to his expertise in health research, system planning and intervention, policy advocacy and implementation management, he brings in senior management experience, strategic communication and leadership skills in this international NGO.

On his appointment, the Save the Children said he is an “active” national policy advocate and “instrumental” in shaping maternal-neonatal health policies in Bangladesh.

Under his leadership the MaMoni project received Save the Children USA President Award in 2012 for its contribution towards operationalising the Theory of Change and influencing national policy and programme.  

He is a physician by training and passed MBBS from Dhaka Medical College. He received post graduate training in Health Economics at the University of Dhaka and in Health Systems Management at LSHTM/University of London.

He was NIH-Fogarty Fellow at the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins University. He has co-authored more than 25 research articles in peer-reviewed journals.