It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. Sir Fazle was the founder and chairperson of BRAC, friend of IFPRI, and leadership council member of Compact2025. His unwavering dedication to the development community was an inspiration to us all.
Sir Fazle was a singular champion for the poor, women, and girls in Bangladesh and throughout the world. He founded BRAC in 1972 as a relief and rehabilitation project in north-eastern Bangladesh. Since then,BRAC has grown to become the largest nongovernmental development organization in the world. In his work at BRAC and beyond, Sir Fazle worked tirelessly to improve the lives of millions. He was knighted by the British Crown in 2009 and was recognized as the World Food Prize laureate in 2015.
We at IFPRI were privileged to have worked with him for so many years in our mutual pursuit of ending poverty, hunger, and malnutrition particularly under Compact2025. We have learned a great deal from Sir Fazle, and we will work together to carry his legacy forward.
The World Food Prize Foundation has issued a statement on Sir Fazle's passing, which can be found here.
Our deepest condolences are with his wife Lady Syeda Sarwat Abed, his family, friends and his colleagues at BRAC.
