7 Bangladeshis receive Balipara Foundation Awards 2022

As many as 50 Bangladeshi individuals and organisations are receiving the award for their contribution to developing sustainable methods to live in harmony with nature

Seven Bangladeshis have received awards from Balipara Foundation, an Assam-based organisation in India, for their contribution to preserving the harmony between human beings and the natural environment.

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) hosted the Balipara Foundation Awards 2022 ceremony at the university auditorium on Sunday, according to a press statement.

The winners from Bangladesh are Dr M Monirul H Khan, Golam Mainuddin, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Mahfuz Ahmed Russel, Delowar Jahan, Hawladar Azad Kabir and Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan.

A total of 50 organisations and individuals from the country are being recognised in the annual awards introduced in 2013.

The Center for Bay of Bengal Studies (CBoBS) of IUB partnered with the foundation for the awards and the 10th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum 2022, held from Dec 11-13 at the IUB.

"It's a 360-degree human life situation right now. There has to be a shift in mindsets and attitudes. We need to move with a mindset that puts ecology at the forefront. Everything has to be biodiverse," said Ranjit Barthakur, the founder of the foundation.

Ambassador Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary and prime minister's special envoy for nuclear affairs and climate change of India, said: "Today, we are at a point where climate change, biodiversity, and finance cannot be put in a single box; they have become more and more interconnected. In terms of the International negotiations, we need to look at the interconnectedness."

TV Narendran, managing director of Tata Steel, India, said: “We are all fresh from COP26. One of the major achievements is that around 120 countries have signed up that they would either reverse deforestation or not cut out any forest by 2030."