Dhaka receives UN Equator Prize
Bangladesh, along with 24 local and indigenous groups of different countries, has been honoured by the UNDP's Equator Initiative for its outstanding contribution to sustainable development through partnership.
Chunoti Co-Management Committee (CMC) of Bangladesh was awarded the prize at a function at Vivo Reo Conference Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday for its meaningful efforts in protecting the Chunoti Forest, a wildlife sanctuary in Chittagong.
In addition, 10 countries were awarded thematic prizes in ten categories from the pool of winners.
CMC Vice President Md Nazrul Islam received the prize when Environment and Forests Minister Hasan Mahmud and Chief Forest Conservator Md Yunus Ali were present, a government press release said yesterday.
This year's winners were selected from 812 nominations submitted by communities in 113 countries across the developing world. The award winning projects were announced on March 21, 2012.
According to the website of Equator Initiative, the CMC protects the once-degraded Chunoti Wildlife Sanctuary through the coordination of volunteer patrols and reinvestment of ecotourism revenues into conservation activities.
The ceremony was counted with the presence of UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, renowned Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil, and founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Muhammad Yunus.
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