Firdaus honoured with 'Democracy's Hero'
The International Republican Institute (IRI), a non-partisan US-funded organisation, has declared former Bangladesh ambassador Nasim Firdaus as their 'Democracy's Hero'.
Firdaus, the country's first female diplomat, has been a strong advocate of women's empowerment.
After retiring from civil service, she established the Bangladesh Alliance for Women Leadership (BDAWL) in 2008, to develop the next generation of women leaders in her country, says a release of IRI.
BDAWL continues to bring awareness to the plight of women in Bangladesh by hosting conferences where international best practices for enhancing women's participation in political processes and decision making roles are discussed.
In 2010, BDAWL published the first ever directory of Bangladeshi women leaders, entitled Who's Who: Women Leaders at a Glance.
Along with others, Firdaus launched the Women's Democracy Network (WDN) Bangladesh Country Chapter in September 2011, the release said.
She is currently leading WDN's Women's Leadership School initiative in Bangladesh, which encourages women to pursue active participation in the public sphere and address the barriers that they face in pursuing political leadership positions.
The IRI's mission is to expand freedom throughout the world.
Its activities include teaching and assisting with political party and candidate development, good governance practices, civil society development, civic education, women's and youth leadership development, electoral reform and election monitoring, and political expression in closed societies.
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