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  • ‘Knowledgevale’ started its journey in Dhanmondi as a co-working place for young entrepreneurs, students, freelancers and startup companies. The inauguration of the organization was announced today on Thursday (January 6) at Daffodil Family Tower, Road No. 14, Dhanmondi. Knowledgevale Director Mr. Akib Arafat Khan was present as the Chief Guest at the inaugural program. Daffodil Family CEO Mr. Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Daffodil Computer Limited (DCL) Managing Director Mr. Zafar Ahmed Patwari, Bangladesh Venture Capital Limited’s Company Secretary Md. Jahir Uddin, Daffodil International School Principal Dr. Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Executive Director of Daffodil International Professional Training Institute Mr. Rathindra Nath Das, Senior Assistant Director (Public Relations) of Daffodil International University Mr. Anwar Habib Kazal, BSDI Executive Director Mr. K M Hasan Ripon and others were also present. While addressing as the chief guest, Mr. Akib Arafat Khan said that Bangladesh is a country of infinite potential. The youth of this country are incredibly talented and hardworking. But there is no environment for young entrepreneurs in this country. Young entrepreneurs with innovative mindsets have to face many obstacles. Knowledgevale was founded for these young entrepreneurs and freelancers. From this organization, young entrepreneurs will be able to expand their business without any worries.He also said that many young people cannot start a small business due to lake of an office. Knowledgevale will not only provide them office space, but will also provide them all the support they need to expand their business.Mr. Mohammad Nuruzzaman said to his speech that the journey of Daffodil family started with the focus on information and technology. Now is the age of information technology. Knowledgevale will sponsor the initiatives that the youth will take in the field of information technology. Knowledgevale aims to take knowledge-based initiatives forward to innovative young entrepreneurs as well.Note that Knowledgevale is an organization that provides co-workspaces for young entrepreneurs, students, freelancers and startups. There are modern design offices, free internet, meeting rooms, car parking, membership facilities and much more. Details can be found at https://knowledgevale.com/ . Caption: Mr. Akib Arafat Khan, Director, of ‘Knowledgevale’is launching its operation in Bangladesh in the capital’s Dhanmondi Area.Mohammad Nuruzzaman, CEO of Daffodil Family Zafar Ahmed Patwari, GM of DCL, Md. Jahir Uddin, managing Director of BVCL, Dr. Md. Mahmudul Hassan, Principal, Daffodil International School, K M Hasan Ripon, Executive Director, BSDI and other high officials were present.

  • A media orientation program on ‘humanitarian journalism’ was held at Cox’s Bazar on Monday (Jan 03) for local journalists working for national and regional media outlets. Around 30 journalists representing TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and online news portals participated in the orientation organized by Xposar Communication for World Vision with the financial assistance from USAID, at Hotel Beach Way. Anis Alamgir, a renowned journalist and columnist, were the key speaker at the program which was inaugurated by Abdul Moktader, Office in-Charge of Bangladesh Rohingya Crisis Response (BRCR) of World Vision. Dr Makhan L. Dutta, Md Rajab Ali and Md Abdul Barek of World Vision were other speakers while Sumon Francis Gomes and Henry Roy of World Vision, among others, were present. JournalistShiabur Rahman moderated the program. Anis Alamgir, the only Bangladeshi journalist who covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in his speech advised the journalists to maintain ethics while reporting on any issue, particularly humanitarian crises. He said all reporting on any humanitarian crises should aim to contribute to the mitigation of the crises. Anis Alamgir also highlighted the safety of newsmen while reporting on wars or humanitarian crises. “Nothing is more important than life. So don’t endanger your life for any piece of news,” he said. Md Abdul Barek in his speech focused on different Rohingya crisis response programs of World Vision.

  • The first day of the year is celebrated with immense joy and unparallel appeal. The students of every school are cheering in joy with new books in their hands. The students are celebrating new academic year with the fragrance of new books. Through the cheer of new bud youths bloom the immense prospect of Bangladesh.Now, no student of Bangladesh has to stop study because of book scarcity. The drop out rate at primary level was alarming few years ago. Many students had to stop study because of book scarcity too. All these are past now. Bangladesh has been distributing free books among primary and secondary school students for last Twoelve years. 1st January is celebrated as Academic Book fair day at every educational institutions and schools of the country. The initiative to distribute free books among the students on the first day of the year was taken by the state in 2009. In 12 years 419 crore 1 lakh 79 thousand 475 books have been distributed free at primary and secondary level. In this series, 36 crore 21 lakh 82 thousand 245 new books have been distributed this year and this time for the first time 50 thousand books in five of the 36 endangered tribal languages ​​were distributed. These five tribal groups are Chakma, Marma, Tripura (Kokbarak), Garo and Orao (Sardi). The population of these five ethnic groups is more than one million. This huge task has been completed without any serious error. It is very rare to distribute such a huge number of books in the world. Bangladesh has reached a different height with the serious initiative to build a learned nation. UNESCO said, a few countries have given proper importance in spite of low income- Bangladesh is one of them. To prevent drop out, food distribution programme is also going on in primary level besides stipend for the students. These positive steps of the government open the door of possibility for every student. Education is now bringing happiness and dream for new days to every child. The ardent dream of childhood was lost for Photographer Fojit Sheikh Babu. He had to stop study at the mid 1980s because of book scarcity. So the vast change of education stirred him a lot. So he wanted to disseminate the success story of Bangladesh’s education from his own personal emotion. The Photography exhibition ‘Childhood Joy with Books’ is solely Babu’s alone initiative. This is not the first time that Fojit Sheikh Babu is initiating the success and problems of Bangladesh with his limited capability. His first arrangement was a photography exhibition ‘Stop the climate change’. He is not only potraited the climate disaster of Bangladesh, he is creating awareness to save the endangered environment too. Through the second exhibition ‘Save the river Shitalakkhya’ he warned about the people river pollution through industrial wastes. He arranged the exhibition at Bangladesh National Museum and then at the Bank of Shitalakkhya and Central Shahid Minar, Chashara at Narayangonj. He arranged a joint photo exhibition with Alliance Française de Dhaka ‘Save the river Buriganga’. Through this event he demanded for clean and pollution free Buriganga. He also arranged a photo exhibition in Paris, Franch on 17th April, 2017. In 2018, the UK organized two photo exhibitions titled ‘Who Are the New Boat People’ and in 2019 in Canada, four photographs depicting the plight of Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

  • The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangladesh will host a virtual ‘Concert for Migrants’ to mark International Migrants Day on 18 December and help raise awareness about safe migration.  The concert organized for the second year running, aims to connect with migrants and their communities and promote safe migration through information and entertainment.  The first ‘Concert for Migrants’ hosted in 2020, reached more than 4 million viewers joining in virtually from more than 20 countries.   The virtual concert will enable some of the 7.4 million plus Bangladeshi migrants working abroad to connect and watch the concert from around the world. They can expect to be entertained by popular performers including Kumar Bishwajit, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Shironamhin, Luipa, Asif Akbar, Kuddus Boyati, Nandita, Pritom Ahmed, and Masha Islam. The concert will mostly feature some folk and contemporary music which has great appeal among migrants, returnees, their families and the general community. Ranked sixth highest in the world, Bangladesh’s migrant workers play a critical role in the country’s development. Notably, Bangladesh currently receives the eighth highest remittances in the world, and significantly since 1976, migrants have sent back over USD 249 billion in remittances. Migration presents complex and challenging issues and information plays a vital role in addressing these challenges. IOM Bangladesh’s Officer in Charge, Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, said, “On this International Migrants Day, we take the opportunity to honour Bangladeshi migrants’ contributions at home and abroad through the ‘Concert for Migrants’.” Ghazzali added that the concert will inform and entertain listeners on the value of safe, orderly and regular migration. “I invite everyone to watch the concert, which features some of Bangladesh’s most prominent musicians.” Ahead of the concert, Kumar Bishwajit, a prominent singer who will perform at the concert, shared an important message via video message, “Please don’t fall into a trap and be a victim of human trafficking while migrating abroad. Taking an informed decision is the best way to migrate abroad safely.”  “Migration is one of the most important sectors for Bangladesh, but still many migrants continue to go abroad irregularly,” commented actor and singer Fazlur Rahman Babu. He urged would-be migrants to follow the regular pathways for safe migration and invited migrants to watch the concert. The ‘Concert for Migrants’ is initiated under the European Union funded project “Bangladesh: Sustainable Reintegration and Improved Migration Governance (Prottasha)” that supports the Government to achieve SDG Goal 10.7 to facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed policies. The ‘Concert for Migrants’ is organized in collaboration with Jamuna Television and will be streamed live on 18 December 2021on IOMBangladesh’s Facebook page and telecast on Jamuna Television from 11:00 PM (23:00onwards), Bangladesh time (GMT+6).

  • An Agreement signing ceremony for Danube Home Exclusive Franchise in Bangladesh between Daffodil Group and Danube Home International FZCO was held at Daffodil Tower (DT-4), Sukrabad, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. On behalf of Daffodil Family Mr. Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Group CEO and from Danube Home Mr. Sayed Habib, Director-Business Development and Franchise signed the agreement. Jafar Ahmed Patwary,GM and Abdur Rob DGM of Daffodil Group along with other  high officials from Daffodil Family and Danube Home attended the signing ceremony. With this agreement Daffodil group will set up a Danube Home exclusive franchise in Bangladesh. Danube and DG will set up a Manufacturing unit in Bangladesh targeting the worldwide export market especially Danube operating directly in 28 countries. Danube Home, the retail arm of Danube Group, was started by Adel Sajan, Danube Group Managing Director, with an aim to provide superior quality, global products to customers to suit their budget and diverse preferences. Danube Home is now a leading home improvement and home furnishing brand with a strong, vibrant, ever-growing presence in the Middle East, Gulf Region, Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent. It is a one-stop solution for all the home improvement needs of the customer including sanitary ware, hardware, tiles and electrical. In the UAE, Danube Home has showrooms in Al Barsha, Deira, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Al Ain, and Abu Dhabi. With their franchise model, Danube Home International has expanded in more than 20 countries across Africa, Middle East and Asia. Daffodil Family is the leading ICT Conglomerate and the largest Education provider in Bangladesh. Today Daffodil Family encompasses over 17 concerns in two specific arenas-ICT and Education. The Group is operating in major divisions and cosmopolitan areas in Bangladesh and has started its operation internationally. Caption: Daffodil Group CEO Mohammad Nuruzzaman, and Danube Home Director-Business Development and Franchise Sayed Habib exchanging the agreement documents at the Agreement signing ceremony between Daffodil Group and Danube Home International.Jafar Ahmed Patwary, GM and Abdur Rob DGM of Daffodil Group are seen in the picture.

  • The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Embassy of Bangladesh in the Netherlands are organizing a 21-day long virtual exhibition of cultural objects and artworks representing key aspects of Rohingya memories, experiences, and aspirations from 10 to 31 December 2021 through the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC). Titled ‘Art | Life | Rohingya’, the exhibition is supported by the Netherlands Foreign Office and can be accessed at https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/8706193/art-life-rohingya until 31 December 2021. Visitors can click through a 3D virtual gallery, moving through different rooms to view collections such as Rohingya architecture, boat models, needlework, pottery, basketry, musical instruments and more. The exhibition is part of an attempt to preserve Rohingya culture and ensure its continuity for Rohingya youth and children. The RCMC also aims to restore dignity and enhance the psychological wellbeing of the Rohingya population.  The cultural objects and artworks, created and curated by refugee artisans of RCMC in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps, capture Rohingya life in their homeland of Myanmar through artful scale models of their traditional houses, boats, furniture, household items, tools, etc. Embroidery artworks such as ‘Henna Hands,’ ‘Self-Reflection’ and ‘My Home in Myanmar’ reveal the inner worlds of the Rohingya women. ‘Wedding Tapestry’ and needlework renditions of Rohingya proverbs visualize indigenous beliefs and practices. IOM Bangladesh’s Officer In Charge Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali said, “The RCMC offers a platform for the Rohingya people to share and build their stories with a global audience and to connect with the diaspora.” Rohingya artisan Zaber said, “Preserving and collecting our cultural things is a meaningful way of getting back a precious thing which was lost a hundred years before. We left everything except our memories. If we collect these things today, they won’t disappear, and our younger generations will know about them.” “Embroidery is a world of art and a garden of relaxation,” said embroidery artisan Shamsunnahar. “We want to show Rohingya women’s handicraft to the world.” The exhibition also includes artworks by Rohingya teaching artists of Artolution, a community-based public artist network that creates social change through art. According to Dr. Max Frieder, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Artolution, “The groundbreaking story of the renaissance of the Rohingya artistic culture is evidence that humanity can overcome. The Rohingya Artolution and the Rohingya Cultural Memory Center are at the core of the same movement to define the history of how Rohingya artistic expression is the candle of resilience, towards a future of profound regeneration.”  “Rohingya people are just not another million people. They treasure distinct culture and heritage as well. Their identity and dignity demand protection, by us, all,” said Ambassador M. Riaz Hamidullah of the Embassy of Bangladesh to the Netherlands. Ambassador Anne Gerard van Leeuwen of the Embassy of the Netherlands to Bangladesh said, “By preserving the cultural identity of the Rohingya, the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre creates hope and strengthens mental wellbeing. By organizing the exhibition, I hope that the plight of the Rohingya and the hospitality of Bangladesh will find recognition throughout the world.” IOM is constructing a multi-purpose community centre in the Rohingya camp to display the RCMC collection. In 2022, RCMC activities will focus on skills-building, cultural education, and community-based art and culture activities to support the intergenerational transfer of knowledge.

  • The UK’s favourite curry restaurants, as nominated for by the British Public, were announced at the trailblazing and foremost celebration of the industry, British Curry Awards in association with Just Eat, as it returned for its 17th year after the pandemic challenges.The finest curry restaurateurs from across the UK descended on the Capital in the hope of being recognised as the best restaurant in their region and honoured with a‘Curry Oscars’ honour crème of UK’s curry restaurants, as nominatedBy diners, following Covid challenges jewel in the crown of the UK curry restaurant industry award sector at the prestigious ceremony that took place on Monday 29th November at Battersea Evolution.Recognised globally as the original and most respected award ceremony in the UK curry industry and the ‘Curry Oscars’, as named by former Prime Minister David Cameron, British Curry Awards once again welcomed in person prominent personalities from the worlds of politics, sport, showbiz and entertainment alongside celebrity chefs and curry restaurant owners and their staff from across the country. In attendance were: Cricketer, Azeem Rafiq; Love Island contestant, Priya Gopaldas, model, Danielle Mason; former The Apprentice winner, Sian Gabbidon; TV presenters, Melinda Messenger, Lizzie Cundy, Faye Barker, Hayley Sparkes and Hayley Palmer; radio presenter, James Whale; television GP, Dr Amir Khan; filmmaker, actor and presenter, Mistah Islah; music artists, Patti Boulaye and Mr Fabulous; President of Restaurant Association, Robert Walton MBE; MP’s, Chris Grayling, Foysol Choudhury; RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Baga Chipz; and Reality TV personality, Robbie McMahon among others. The ceremony was hosted by actor and comedian, Omid Djalili. Bollywood star, Abhishek Bachchan, attended virtually to present the award for the Best Restaurant West Midlands category. As the foremost and pioneering celebration of the UK curry industry’s achievements and the best restaurants across all regions, with awards deemed the most prized badge of honour across the entire industry for winning restaurants, British Curry Awards has established itself as a national institution.British Curry Awards 2021 Winners:Best Restaurant Scotland: Dishoom, 3A St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD Best Restaurant North East: Mumtaz Restaurant, 386-410 Great Horton Road, Bradford BD7 3HSBest Restaurant North West: Asha’s, 47 Peter Street, Manchester M2 3NGBest Restaurant East Midlands: Montaz Newmarket, 30 Old Station Road, Newmarket CB8 8DNBest Restaurant West Midlands: Pushkar Restaurant, 245 Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2HQBest Restaurant Wales: Purple Poppadom, 185a Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AJBest Restaurant South East: Chez Mumtaz, Centurian House 136-142 London Road, St Albans AL1 1PQBest Restaurant South West: Prithvi Restaurant, 37 Bath Road, Cheltenham GL53 7HGBest Restaurant London Central & City: Benares, 12a Berkeley Square, Mayfair W1J 6BSBest Restaurant London – Outer & Suburbs: Shampan Bromley, 38 Chatterton Road, Bromley BR2 9QNBest Newcomer: Mathura Restaurant, 4 Greycoat Place, London SW1P 1SBBest Delivery Restaurant/Takeaway: Maliks Express Kitchen, Shop 5, Marsham Way, Gerrards Cross SL9 8ABMost Innovative Restaurant Concept: Khai Khai Indian Restaurant, 29 Queen Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 3UGA nationwide nominations process to honour the nation’s top curry houses is led by the local patrons of curry houses on the streets of Britain, annually invited to nominate their favourite Asian restaurants and takeaways. The process of public nominations creates an authentic list of the nation’s favourite Asian eateries, based on the opinions of the public, leading to a rigorous vetting process by an independent panel of judges.This year’s ceremony had particular significance, given the challenges faced by the industry over the past 18 months of the pandemic, and acknowledged the industry’s spirit and resilience through difficult business and personal circumstances. The industry has seen many leaders, pioneers, restaurateurs and staff tragically lose their lives to Covid. This year’s ceremony paid tribute to those that have passed away.Additionally, operational issues such as supply chain and staff shortages and the knock-on effect of multiple lockdowns has had a lasting impact on business. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurial spirit and strong will of the UK curry community continues to work tirelessly to serve customers and diners across the UK with the nation’s favourite dish.British Curry Awards Founder, Enam Ali MBE, is the UK’s leading spokesperson for the curry industry and has been promoting it globally for the past 45 years. Speaking at the event, he said, “What a year we have had – full of highs and lows as we have come out of the pandemic and had to try and rebuild our businesses after lockdowns. The support of our customers has been incredible but the challenges are still significant.At the British Curry Awards we have always stood up for the causes that matter to the industry. We are all now benefitting from the so-called vindaloo visa which has helped address the chef shortage problem. We will always fight your corner. And the Government does listen to us.This year we have received many reports that restaurants that had got high, four or five stars ‘scores on the doors’ in the past from local environmental health officers have been getting marked down to only one or two stars. It seems from the reports we are getting that, often, restaurants are being marked down for fairly minor, technical infringements. Even though these can often be quickly rectified they are having to wait up to six months to be reassessed. This is unfair and is putting many already struggling businesses as they come out of the pandemic on the verge of closure.What we are asking for is the government to require local authorities to have a much faster appeal and recertification process, so that those marked down can be reassessed in 4-6 weeks, not 4-6 months. Otherwise we will not be able to play our part in the recovery of our high streets, as this inflexible process will prove the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”In a message of support, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson said, “I’m delighted that one of the greatest events in our gastronomic calendar, the Curry Oscars, is back in action and it is fantastic to celebrate the genius of our curry restaurateurs who have, for decades, offered their fragrant medleys. Throughout the […]

  • Papua New Guinea will host the 4th Clean Pacific Roundtable (CPRT) in 2024. The announcement was made during the closing ceremony of the 3rd CPRT on Thursday, held virtually. Facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the CPRT aims to facilitate networking and dialogue, improve donor coordination, mobilise technical and financial resources and to develop monitoring and reporting methods on the progress of the Cleaner Pacific 2025. The Director General of SPREP, Mr Kosi Latu, congratulated PNG for the offer to host the regional face-to-face meeting. He emphasised the importance of the meeting being the regional mechanism, which empowers cooperation for a cleaner Pacific environment. Papua New Guinea with a population of 8.5million people is the largest Pacific Island country and with that comes many challenges in managing waste. But the nation has also made very good progress in addressing the challenges and the 2024 meeting will provide an opportunity to showcase some of the waste management initiatives they have.  One of them is the Total Waste Management (TWM) Roku Integrated Facility in Port Moresby, which aims to provide a solution for the wider Pacific through controlled handling, treatment and disposal as well as recycling and recovery of waste resource products. The first two CPRTs in 2016 and 2018 were held in Suva Fiji. The third meeting was supposed to have been held in New Caledonia last year but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to 2021 and converted to a virtual event, which took place over seven days. Close to a 100 participants from the government sector, waste and environmental practitioners, development partners, private sector, community, NGOs, academic and research institutions attended the sessions on a daily basis. The 3rd Clean Pacific Roundtable was a partnership between SPREP, the Government of New Caledonia as host and Acotred Pacific, the cluster of Pacific waste collection and treatment professionals. The meeting focused on: •           Creating a safe Pacific Circular Economy •           Waste industry-based enterprise with enhanced public-private partnerships •           Bridging people and waste: Enhancing consciousness in managing waste

  • A compelling artistic work is harnessing the oratory skills of the Pacific to bring the heart-breaking reality of climate change from the islands to COP26.   ‘Mana Moana – Pacific Voices’ is a collection of emotive and artistic video works created to amplify and support our Pacific call to drive global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The powerful collection of 11 poems will be launched on 1 November 2021 at the UN climate change conference in Glasgow.  The Twenty-Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change is reported to bring together 25,000 people for the global negotiations. A particular focus is completing the UNFCCC rulebook for implementation of the Paris Agreement. The Mana Moana – Pacific Voices is one way the Pacific are amplifying their voice at the event. “Pacific Islanders are gifted in telling our story, our oratory nature is in our cultural make up as we have had to tell our story through the years, sharing our history through our lineage,” said Mr Kosi Latu, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). “This project gives voice to our climate change challenges, in a way that we know how.  It allows us to share our voice beyond the science, statistics and policy speak, to reach people beyond their roles at these climate negotiations so they can feel our climate change stories.” Supported by Aotearoa New Zealand, SPREP have worked with Mana Moana, a collection of artists, to amplify the Pacific voice at COP26 through the Mana Moana – Pacific Voices. The Mana Moana – Pacific Voices spans Our Ancestors Speak, a powerful work that is a call to arms for peoples across the Pacific and globally.  It was filmed in multiple locations featuring real people and voices from Aotearoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Torres Strait Islands and Tuvalu. Our Islands Speak, another part of Mana Moana – Pacific Voices, culminates 10 different poems from 10 different Pacific Island poets merging with indigenous artists to create a visual, moving, digitally enhanced offering in the series of poems hand-picked by special curator Dr Karlo Mila. “These works have been designed to take tupuna – ancestors – and our Oceanic experiences – across the digital and pandemic divides – to arrive at COP26.” Said Dr Karlo ’Ulu’ave Mila Poet and Mana Moana special curator. “We navigate vast distances as we always have, harnessing the technology at our fingertips, resourcefully, to strengthen the call from the Pacific at COP26 for a 1.5-degree Celsius world.”   The Pacific islands region is amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change despite contributing to less than 0.06% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement commits to limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The Paris Rulebook will be the mechanism that details how countries are to action the Paris Agreement to achieve a 1.5-degree Celsius world. For the Pacific Islands, this legally binding agreement is a promise of survival as the impacts of climate change reach across many different levels.  The Mana Moana – Pacific Voices collection will be showcased throughout the COP26 at different events and platforms, including the Moana Blue Pacific events to help amplify the Pacific voice. “We are pleased to welcome the support of our Pacific Island poets in telling our climate change stories,” said Mr Latu. “We hope this is the start of even greater opportunities to amplify our voice through our Pacific artists.” The initiative is supported by Aotearoa New Zealand and coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme with support from many Pacific islands people, organisations and communities.  These videos have been developed to be screened during the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) COP26 and other relevant climate change events.

  • The “Bangabandhu Innovation Grant (BIG) 2021” was organized by the Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to inspire young entrepreneurs and startups. One of the aims of this initiative is to create a startup ecosystem in the country by encouraging young entrepreneurs i.e., innovative ideas of startups. At the end of the campaign in 142 countries, more than 7,000 startups and inventors from 57 countries including Bangladesh, participated in the contest at the initial stage. The best of the best winning startup “OpenRefactory” received a grant of 1,00,000 US dollars with special honors as “One Big Winner 2021”, which is the biggest reward from the ICT Division for the startups in this Mujib year. In the BIG 2021 Grand Finale program, 36 startups chosen from home and abroad will receive a total grant of BDT 3 crore 60 lakh where each startup will get BDT 10 Lakh. A total of 46 startups, including 26 local startups selected from the reality show, the top 10 startups at the international level and the top 10 startups of the iDEA Project portfolio, are in the “BIG 2021 Grand Finale”. In the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence and the Mujib year, the grand finale of this special event was held on Saturday, October 30, 2021, at the Multipurpose Auditorium of Bangladesh Film Archive at Agargaon, Dhaka. This year’s event of “BIG 2021” concluded with an excellent award distribution ceremony of about three hours. The Minister of Finance of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Mr. A H M Mustafa Kamal, FCA, MP was the chief guest at the Grand Finale of “BIG 2021” and the state minister for ICT Division Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP presided over the program. The Senior Secretary of ICT Division Mr. N M Zeaul Alam PAA and the Executive Director and Additional Secretary of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) Dr. Md Abdul Mannan, PAA were the special guests of the program. the Project Director (Joint Secretary) of the iDEA Project Md. Abdur Rakib gave a welcome speech on the occasion. Joining online, Finance Minister Mr. A H M Mustafa Kamal said the government has allocated BDT 100 crore in the current budget to support young innovators. Today’s young inventors will play an important role in the country’s economy. Money is not a challenge, he said. We will move forward in the right direction by transforming the challenge into a possibility. The finance minister said that the journey of the startup ecosystem in Bangladesh started in 2010. Currently, there are more than 2500 startups serving in Bangladesh and they are playing an important role in our economy. There are currently more than 40 accelerator and incubator programs in the country. A number of startups have already received much investment in the country, which is a source of pride for us.” He added that more than 1.5 million people have been directly or indirectly employed through startups. He hoped that Bangladesh would emerge as a developed country in the world by 2041 by harnessing the innovative power of the youth through the hands of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Finally, he said, “BIG 2021” is an initiative that is a clear reflection of the current government’s commitment to building and developing a startup culture. Speaking on the program, the state minister for ICT Division Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP said that a startup policy would be formulated soon to build an innovative nation by building an innovation ecosystem. He said that as a result of different policies and support of the ICT sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at present the export revenue of the ICT sector is more than 1 billion US dollars. We are working towards the goal of increasing export earnings to 5 billion dollars by 2025 and creating employment for 3 million people. As a result of inclusive development through the use of technology, Bangladesh is now ranked 32nd in the world. In this way, he expressed his determination to build a smart Bangladesh within 2041. Therefore, this goal will be achieved through the innovation of own technology as advised by the Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Mr. Sajeeb Wazed. Already 2500 innovators have been created in the country. Overall support will be provided by the ICT Division for their empowerment. Finally, Palak announced that the “Bangabandhu Innovation Grant (BIG) 2021” contest will be held every year. In the “BIG 2021” contest, more than 7,000 startups applied from home and abroad at the initial stage, from which a total of 255 projects from 56 countries were accepted internationally. From there, the top 10 international level startups are selected after two rounds of selection, who directly participate in the grand finale. On the other hand, startup selection at the national level is initially in two stages. In the first phase, 28 judges selected 286 local startups through 5 screening boards. 35 experienced judges, both public and private in 6 panels, selected the best 65 startups from these startups, who had the opportunity to participate in a 6-day online boot camp. After grooming at the boot camp, the 13-episode TV reality show started with these 65 startups. In this episode, the contestants faced the established business icons of the country who selected 26 startups out of 65 startups selected from the judges. A total of 46 startups were selected from the reality show, including 26 local startups, the top 10 international startups and the top 10 portfolio startups of the iDEA project. Through 3 expert judging panels, the final selection process is made by focusing on various issues including startup concept, feasibility, business, technology, finance, the implementation plan of the startup, etc. At the end of the final selection of judges, the winner “OpenRefactory” was announced as the “One BIG Winner 2021” with a grant of 1 lac US dollars. Finally, the winners were handed over the crest, along […]