Birth and Childhood

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was born on 27 April 1936 in the village of Baniachong, Habiganj. His 89th birthday will be observed on Sunday, 27 April 2025.

Education and First Professional Steps

• In 1962 he studied Cost and Management Accountancy in London and earned his professional qualification.
• While working for a British multinational company in Pakistan, the 1970 cyclone and the 1971 Liberation War changed the course of his life.
• After the war began, he left his job, moved to London, and helped establish Action Bangladesh and Help Bangladesh to support the liberation struggle.

The Birth of BRAC (1972)

Amid a shattered post-war economy and the challenge of rehabilitating more than one million returning refugees, Abed—then 36—founded BRAC in Shalla, Sunamganj. His goal was to organize communities, build skills, create jobs, and empower the poor to escape poverty.

Integrated Development Strategy

BRAC launched multifaceted programmes in health, education, microfinance, skills training, agriculture and food security, rural industries, human rights, road safety, migration, and urban development so that disadvantaged groups could become self-reliant.

Global Reach and Recognition

• Today BRAC operates in 13 countries across Asia and Africa in addition to Bangladesh.
• From 2016 to 2020, it ranked first for five consecutive years on NGO Advisor’s list of the world’s top 500 NGOs.

Passing

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed passed away in Dhaka on 20 December 2019.

Major Awards and Honors (Selected)

• Yidan Prize—highest accolade in education (2019)
• Royal Knight of the Netherlands (2019)
• LEGO Prize (2018)
• Laudato Si’ Award (2017)
• José Edgardo Campos Collaborative Leadership Award (2016)
• Thomas Francis Jr. Medal in Global Public Health (2016)
• World Food Prize (2015)
• Trust Women Hero Award (2014)
• Order of Civil Merit, Spain (2014)
• Leo Tolstoy Gold Medal (2014)
• Open Society Prize (2013)
• WISE Prize for Education (2011)
• Entrepreneur for the World Award (2009)
• David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008)
• Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007)
• Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership (2007)
• PKSF Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
• UNDP Mahbub ul Haq Award (2004)
• Gates Award for Global Health (2004)
• Gleitsman International Activist Award (2003)
• Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award (2003)
• Olaf Palme Prize (2001)
• InterAction Humanitarian Award (1998)
• Alan Shawn Feinstein World Hunger Award (1990)
• UNESCO Noma Prize (1985)
• Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1980)

Additional Recognition

• Ashoka named him a “Global Great,” recognizing him as one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.
• In 2009 the British Crown conferred on him the title of Knight Commander (KCMG).
• In 2010 he served on the UN panel of experts for Least Developed Countries.
• Fortune magazine listed him among the “50 Greatest Leaders” in 2014 and 2017.

Honorary Degrees

• Doctor of Laws, Princeton University, USA (2014)
• Doctor of Letters, University of Oxford, UK (2009)
• Doctor of Laws, Columbia University, USA (2008)
• Doctor of Humane Letters, Yale University, USA (2007)

Conclusion

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed’s visionary leadership and BRAC’s pioneering model continue to inspire development practitioners worldwide. On his 89th birthday, we remember his dream and contributions and renew our commitment to building a humane, poverty-free society.